111,000 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Acquired by Winmill & CO. Inc.

Winmill & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 111,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $25,874,000. Williams-Sonoma comprises 5.7% of Winmill & CO. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Winmill & CO. Inc. owned about 0.09% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. 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 sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $237.34 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $254.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $232.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.71.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup reiterated 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

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.