Congress Asset Management Co. Boosts Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 147.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,783 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,130,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total value of $695,765.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,656.37. The trade was a 20.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total transaction of $3,184,439.89. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 859,088 shares in the company, valued at $153,355,798.88. This trade represents a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,500 shares of company stock valued at $6,082,197. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen cut their price objective 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. KeyCorp increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $191.11 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.56. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $22.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%.

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.