Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Bought by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. dramatically increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1,297.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 362,420 shares valued at about $64.7 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.04 per share, though revenue of $2.36 billion missed estimates 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 $209.06.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 1,297.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 362,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 336,487 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned about 0.30% of Williams-Sonoma worth $64,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $171.87 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $185.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.49. The company has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.39 and a fifty-two week 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $209.06.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 business'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 transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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