Teacher Retirement System of Texas Grows Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 124,180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,122 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $24,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of WSM opened at $204.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $189.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.20. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.07 and a 52 week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.76.

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.