Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Bought by Sienna Gestion

Key Points

• Sienna Gestion increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,074 additional shares and bringing its total to 53,725 shares worth about $9.7 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported solid quarterly results, with earnings of $1.93 per share beating estimates of $1.80 and revenue of $1.81 billion slightly topping expectations; revenue also rose 4.4% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, payable on August 21, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $211.47.

Sienna Gestion grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,725 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,074 shares during the quarter. Sienna Gestion's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 6,728 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,202,000 after buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 115.8% in the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 23,059 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,118,000 after buying an additional 12,376 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,882 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,479,000 after buying an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 82.6% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 57,939 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $10,348,000 after buying an additional 26,213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $222.85 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $192.64 and its 200-day moving average is $194.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.11 and a 12-month high of $230.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.47.

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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