Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Has $4.60 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 41.1% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 25,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 17,633 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma accounts for approximately 2.2% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.0%

WSM stock opened at $233.92 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $244.65. The company has a market cap of $27.54 billion, a PE ratio of 26.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.49. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $203.54.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% 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 sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.