MUFG Securities EMEA plc Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

MUFG Securities EMEA plc grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 112.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,993 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,639 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $316,920,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $254,778,000. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,094,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $213,888,000 after acquiring an additional 263,027 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $204.13 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.20 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $186.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.96. The company has a market cap of $24.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.33 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was 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 $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.