United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Has $13.41 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• United Super Pty Ltd dramatically increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 2,488.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 75,064 shares valued at about $13.41 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.93 versus estimates of $1.80 and revenue of $1.81 billion, up 4.4% from a year earlier.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $207.94.

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 2,488.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 72,164 shares during the period. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund owned approximately 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma worth $13,406,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $205.88 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.20 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $24.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.82.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is presently 29.56%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 91,370 shares of company stock valued at $16,720,823. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WSM. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $207.94.

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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