E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Invests $1.30 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,560 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after purchasing an additional 224,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $342,797,000 after purchasing an additional 130,940 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $242.34 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $28.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $254.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $231.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.33.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was 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 directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One equities research 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.88.

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.