PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Invests $26.34 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 145,209 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $26,341,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third 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 grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the third 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 bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of WSM opened at $179.94 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $147.39 and a 12 month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.