Allianz Asset Management GmbH Lowers Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Allianz Asset Management GmbH lowered its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 35.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,396 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 12,871 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Groupe la Francaise lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% in the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 3.6% during the third quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,879 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.7% in the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,435 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 25.0% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE WSM opened at $217.12 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $197.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.67. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.07 and a twelve month high of $221.81. The company has a market capitalization of $25.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma 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 transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $215.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.53.

Williams-Sonoma 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.