First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 532,995 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 1.86% of Williams-Sonoma worth $443,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,644,000. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.9% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,057 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of WSM opened at $186.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $204.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.73. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 note on Thursday, January 29th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.22.

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.