Plato Investment Management Ltd Makes New $846,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 3,652 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $846,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $316,920,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at approximately $254,778,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $188,603,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $202,129,000 after buying an additional 561,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $231.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $248.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

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.