Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 11,054 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 122.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,071 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,054 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased 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. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $228.50 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $244.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $210.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $201.34. The company has a market capitalization of $26.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.