Railway Pension Investments Ltd Buys 144,200 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 413.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 144,200 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 179,100 shares worth about $31.99 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.93 versus the $1.80 consensus and revenue of $1.81 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $209.06.

Railway Pension Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 413.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 144,200 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd owned 0.15% of Williams-Sonoma worth $31,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $254,778,000. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,094,336 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $213,888,000 after acquiring an additional 263,027 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $203.89 on Friday. 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 $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $185.98 and a 200-day moving average of $191.90.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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