Genus Capital Management Inc. Sells 16,947 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Genus Capital Management cut its Williams-Sonoma stake by 92.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,947 shares and leaving it with 1,333 shares worth about $238,000.
• 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 dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with an average price target of $207.94.

Genus Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 92.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,333 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 16,947 shares during the quarter. Genus Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $192.95 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $184.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.68. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.20 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 51.83%. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.29 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $207.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. 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, 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823. 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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