Westerkirk Capital Inc. Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Westerkirk Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 71.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,488 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $202.28 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $188.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.20 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced 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. 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 analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.06.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at $143,967,732.48. This represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.