Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1,297.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 362,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 336,487 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $64,725,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, 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. One 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 88,004 shares of company stock worth $16,420,107. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.8%

WSM opened at $227.33 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.11 and a 12 month high of $234.41. The company has a market cap of $26.77 billion, a PE ratio of 25.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average of $195.32 and a 200 day moving average of $195.09.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.