Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $1.35 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 59.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,890 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 9,952 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $978,864,000 after buying an additional 127,597 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $283,686,000 after acquiring an additional 401,138 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $212,107,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $205,317,000 after acquiring an additional 389,548 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $213.46 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $25.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $198.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.80. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $221.81.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.53.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.