United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Boosts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2,488.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 72,164 shares during the period. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $13,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at about $254,778,000. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 31.6% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,094,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $213,888,000 after acquiring an additional 263,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,014,643 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $181,213,000 after acquiring an additional 17,229 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:WSM opened at $205.88 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $185.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.20 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The stock has a market cap of $24.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 2.53 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. 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. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $207.94.

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.