Jeffrey Howie Sells 32,684 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $175.50 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $200.80 and its 200-day moving average is $194.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.9% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 80,194 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,101,000 after acquiring an additional 3,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $240,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.56.

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.