Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 6,100 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter, buying 6,100 shares valued at about $1.11 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with the article noting that 99.29% of Williams-Sonoma shares are held by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Williams-Sonoma’s latest earnings topped expectations, reporting $1.93 EPS versus the $1.80 estimate and $1.81 billion in revenue, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,112,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $211.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% 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 90 days, insiders sold 55,320 shares of company stock worth $10,516,069. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $227.20 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.76 and a 12-month high of $244.65. The company has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 22.17%.

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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