Evolve Private Wealth LLC Invests $4.12 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Evolve Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 17,692 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,124,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale 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 15,000 shares of the business’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This trade 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $237.34 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.75. The firm has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.

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.