Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.11 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 6,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,112,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 86.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,117,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $199,506,000 after purchasing an additional 516,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $93,439,000 after buying an additional 466,804 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $227.20 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $203.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.85. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.76 and a 12-month high of $244.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 22.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% 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 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069 in the last three months. 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.