CX Institutional Invests $625,000 in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

CX Institutional bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $625,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 846,927 shares in the company, valued at $153,353,071.89. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective 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. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $199.10 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $185.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.90, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

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.