Entropy Technologies LP Grows Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Entropy Technologies LP increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 240.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,374 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 13,681 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $965,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,148,000. Burton Enright Welch purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $723,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 17,827 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PCM Encore LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $223.19 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.20 and a 1-year high of $224.33. The company has a market capitalization of $26.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $191.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.85.

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 firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given 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 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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