Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 25,600 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 25,600 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $17,605,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 623.0% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 394,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $64,418,000 after buying an additional 339,771 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.1%

WSM stock opened at $190.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $147.39 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.97.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for 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 revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 EPS. Research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.