Allstate Corp Buys New Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Allstate Corp bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 4,516 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $883,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $1,644,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 8.9% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 7,950 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 47.8% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 3,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSM. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. 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. Citigroup decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.76.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 4.6%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $215.42 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $25.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The company’s 50-day moving average is $188.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.82.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.