Pacer Advisors Inc. Buys 336,487 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors sharply increased its Williams-Sonoma stake in the fourth quarter, buying 336,487 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 362,420 shares valued at about $64.7 million.
• 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 announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, while analysts currently hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $211.47.

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 1,297.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 362,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 336,487 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 0.30% of Williams-Sonoma worth $64,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake 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 during the period. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $227.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.09. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.11 and a 12-month high of $234.41.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company 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 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 of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WSM. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.47.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. 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. Insiders have sold 88,004 shares of company stock valued at $16,420,107 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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