SFE Investment Counsel Has $6.27 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

SFE Investment Counsel increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,133 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,393 shares during the period. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $171.87 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $185.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $147.39 and a one year high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on WSM. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.06.

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.