AlpenGlobal Capital LLC Invests $7.59 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

AlpenGlobal Capital LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 41,610 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,587,000. Williams-Sonoma comprises 4.9% of AlpenGlobal Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Argus set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $221.80 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.76 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 34.04%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 51,634 shares of company stock valued at $9,812,283 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.