Allstate Corp Boosts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Allstate Corp increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 97.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Allstate Corp’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $203.89 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $152.20 and a one year high of $222.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $185.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 2.56 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WSM. TD Cowen dropped their target price 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. Citigroup reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

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.