Forsta AP Fonden Increases Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 108.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,500 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden owned about 0.05% of Williams-Sonoma worth $9,992,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at $245,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 110.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,074 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,914,000 after acquiring an additional 14,711 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 15,014 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,768,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,720 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,992,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Silverlake Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth approximately $286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $134.76 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.74. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.56 and a fifty-two week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 28.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $140.83.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.