Prudential PLC Buys 4,097 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,097 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $205.03 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.20 and a 1-year high of $222.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $188.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $192.47. The company has a market cap of $24.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WSM. TD Cowen reduced their price target 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. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target 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. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.