Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. significantly increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 1,272.6%, purchasing an additional 475,484 shares, bringing its total holdings to 512,846 shares worth approximately $81.08 million.
• Company insiders, including CFO Jeffrey Howie and CEO Laura Alber, sold a combined total of 34,000 shares recently, indicating a decrease in their ownership positions.
• Williams-Sonoma announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.46%, showcasing its commitment to returning value to shareholders while maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 29.90%.

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 1,272.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 512,846 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 475,484 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.42% of Williams-Sonoma worth $81,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted 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. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 309,131 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $57,245,000 after purchasing an additional 19,727 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,257 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 7,075 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $556,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 996,927 shares in the company, valued at $163,825,013.91. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 72,000 shares of company stock worth $11,906,700. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $1.26 on Friday, reaching $181.80. The stock had a trading volume of 818,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,202,717. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $165.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 52.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.48 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $178.41.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.