Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $46.86 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 249,429 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,387 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $46,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Boston Partners bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $93,439,000 after purchasing an additional 466,804 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $117,373,000 after purchasing an additional 453,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 623.0% during the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 394,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $64,418,000 after purchasing an additional 339,771 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of WSM opened at $181.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.39 and a twelve month high of $222.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $188.33 and a 200-day moving average of $192.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.83%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.