Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemPictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Free Report) by 20.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 125,941 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,005 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $22,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WSM
Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma
In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 958,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $191,704,800. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.1%
NYSE:WSM opened at $181.40 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $147.39 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.91. The company has a market cap of $21.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.58.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 EPS for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.83%.
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.
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