PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Invests $7.10 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators opened a new position in Williams-Sonoma, buying 39,765 shares worth about $7.1 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership in Williams-Sonoma remains extremely high, with several large investors also adding stakes; overall, about 99.29% of the stock is held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.93 versus $1.80 expected and raising its quarterly dividend to $0.76 from $0.66. Analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $209.06.

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 39,765 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $7,102,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $93,439,000 after buying an additional 466,804 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $117,373,000 after buying an additional 453,214 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% 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 sold 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $205.03 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $188.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $152.20 and a one year high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $24.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

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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