Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stake Boosted by Kerusso Capital Management LLC

Kerusso Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 89.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,843 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,820 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises 2.5% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% during the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $167,927,000 after buying an additional 558,311 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 740.4% during the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 591,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $96,664,000 after buying an additional 521,283 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $283,686,000 after buying an additional 401,138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WSM. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $210.25 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $187.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.13, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $153,353,071.89. The trade was a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.