Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Holdings Boosted by Westerkirk Capital Inc.

Westerkirk Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 71.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,488 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $93,439,000 after acquiring an additional 466,804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $117,373,000 after acquiring an additional 453,214 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE WSM opened at $202.28 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $23.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.20 and a twelve month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, 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 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.