PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 39,765 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,102,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased 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 during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during 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. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC increased 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 during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $205.03 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $188.39 and a 200 day moving average of $192.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.20 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change 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 yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.06.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. 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 dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.