Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 807.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 139,389 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 124,023 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $22,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 232,555 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,993,000 after purchasing an additional 14,911 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 39.2% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 13,109 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,690 shares during the period. Nvwm LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 918.6% in the 2nd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 5,093 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 4,593 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.5% during the second quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 12,515 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.7% during the second quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,198 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,790,000 after buying an additional 2,047 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total transaction of $695,765.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,656.37. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total value of $626,942.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,787,999.92. This trade represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 114,153 shares of company stock valued at $22,901,008. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Argus set a $212.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of WSM opened at $194.62 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $128.37 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $23.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $195.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $181.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.