Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Buys 702 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,190 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,513,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 129.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 863.6% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 212 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 820.0% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE WSM opened at $282.23 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.44 and a twelve month high of $319.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $211.90.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.06 by $0.38. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 55.15% and a net margin of 12.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $261.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $260.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $248.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total transaction of $330,973.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,591.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Marta Benson sold 2,184 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.98, for a total value of $685,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,185,328.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total value of $330,973.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,013,591.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,145 shares of company stock worth $12,182,219. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.