Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Grows Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 342,183 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,319 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned approximately 0.29% of Williams-Sonoma worth $61,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 88,004 shares of company stock valued at $16,420,107 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE WSM opened at $227.61 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $193.58 and its 200-day moving average is $194.48. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $154.11 and a 12-month high of $230.95. The firm has a market cap of $26.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 29.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on WSM shares. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. 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 report on Thursday, March 19th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.