Alamar Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Alamar Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 6,325 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,153,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $222.35 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $213.74 and its 200-day moving average is $202.24. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $244.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was 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 $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $213.12.

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.