Evexia Wealth LLC Acquires 4,520 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Evexia Wealth LLC boosted its Williams-Sonoma stake by 10.5% in Q1, buying 4,520 additional shares and bringing its total to 47,722 shares worth about $9.24 million.
• Williams-Sonoma posted solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates and revenue of $1.81 billion slightly ahead of forecasts, while sales rose 4.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, payable August 21, and analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $211.47.

Evexia Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 10.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,722 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,520 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma makes up about 2.6% of Evexia Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Evexia Wealth LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Arjuna Capital grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $227.33 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.11 and a fifty-two week high of $234.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $196.11 and a 200-day moving average of $195.41.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.17%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business's 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company'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 transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 88,004 shares of company stock worth $16,420,107 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.47.

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.

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