Kerusso Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Kerusso Capital increased its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 25.4% in Q4, buying 5,300 shares to own 26,143 shares worth about $4.67 million, making WSM its 15th largest holding (2.2% of the fund).
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares and CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares, with insiders disposing of 71,370 shares (~$13.27 million) over the last three months, leaving insiders with about 1.10% ownership.
• Williams‑Sonoma beat Q earnings estimates with EPS of $3.04 (vs. $2.90 est.) despite revenue falling 4.3% year‑over‑year, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04; yield ~1.6%), ex‑dividend April 17.

Kerusso Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 25.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,143 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,300 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma accounts for 2.2% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Kerusso Capital Management LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $192.58 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $192.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $144.98 and a one year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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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