Impax Asset Management Group plc Buys 21,165 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 164.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,039 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,165 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth about $335,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,283 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $213.46 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $198.00 and its 200 day moving average is $194.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $221.81.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 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.