Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock Acquired by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 405,156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,414 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.34% of Williams-Sonoma worth $92,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Focused Alpha LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Alpha LLC now owns 2,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 11.1% in the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% in the first quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 11,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,708,929.28. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total transaction of $671,757.45. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,531,184.18. The trade was a 8.19% 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 a total of 40,883 shares of company stock valued at $9,117,518 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on WSM shares. Evercore set a $255.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $286.00 target price (up from $259.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $247.94.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE WSM opened at $253.05 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $256.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $234.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.73. The stock has a market cap of $29.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.48.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related products. The company operates a portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.