Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Aristotle Capital Management LLC

Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 22.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for about 4.3% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC owned 9.46% of Williams-Sonoma worth $2,031,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 3.4% in the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 20,024 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,651,000 after buying an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 680,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $124,076,000 after purchasing an additional 79,800 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,712 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.3% during the first quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $754,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $213.12.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $226.41 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $215.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.63. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

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.