Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 149.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 121,896 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,052 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.10% of Williams-Sonoma worth $23,584,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 6,862 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.7% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 446,971 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $87,361,000 after purchasing an additional 7,430 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 16.0% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 10,655 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,083,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,750,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 243,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,657,000 after buying an additional 2,585 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $211.52 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $200.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.52. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $221.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 29.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore set a $215.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.11.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.