Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Holdings Raised by Fisher Asset Management LLC

Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1,172.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,267 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,845 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 11,348 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,854,000 after buying an additional 1,584 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $183,000. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $2,446,000. Berry Wealth Group LP bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $212,107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total value of $695,765.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,656.37. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total transaction of $18,015,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 876,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $175,534,477.59. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 144,153 shares of company stock valued at $28,287,440. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:WSM opened at $178.38 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $188.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $183.42. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $21.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.00.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.