Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 52,995 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management cut its Williams-Sonoma stake by 38.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 52,995 shares and leaving it with 84,655 shares valued at about $15.1 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 versus the $1.80 estimate and revenue of $1.81 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $209.06.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 38.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,655 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 52,995 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Williams-Sonoma worth $15,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $678,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $202.28 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $188.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $152.20 and a one year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma 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.

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