Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Bought by Assetmark Inc.

Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 446,971 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,430 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc. owned approximately 0.37% of Williams-Sonoma worth $87,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 3.0%

NYSE:WSM opened at $206.86 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $221.81. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $198.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.89. The firm has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% 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. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on WSM. Evercore ISI set a $215.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.