Genus Capital Management Inc. Has $238,000 Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Genus Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 92.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 16,947 shares during the period. Genus Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:WSM opened at $192.95 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.20 and a 1-year high of $222.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $191.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 51.83%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.56%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 91,370 shares of company stock valued at $16,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $207.94.

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.