Twin Tree Management LP Makes New $530,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $530,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 5.5%

NYSE WSM opened at $213.57 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.20 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $25.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $189.59 and its 200-day moving average is $192.97.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. 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 set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.06.

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.