Capstone Capital Management Ltd Purchases New Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,378 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $960,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $169.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $147.39 and a 1 year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock valued at $16,720,823 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.38.

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.