Aigen Investment Management LP Takes $965,000 Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 5,401 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $965,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $223.19 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.85. The stock has a market cap of $26.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.20 and a 1 year high of $224.33.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Bank of America began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.