Qsemble Capital Management LP Has $3.79 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Qsemble Capital Management sharply increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 928.9% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 21,236 shares valued at about $3.79 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported quarterly earnings of $3.04 per share, topping estimates, though revenue of $2.36 billion missed expectations and fell 4.3% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of about $207.81.

Qsemble Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 928.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 19,172 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $207.81.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.0%

NYSE WSM opened at $168.51 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.49. The stock's 50 day moving average is $184.81 and its 200 day moving average is $192.21. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.39 and a twelve month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.83%.

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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