Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 38.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 84,655 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 52,995 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $15,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake 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 worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $202.28 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.20 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $188.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.70. The stock has a market cap of $23.82 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 data 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma 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.