Mcrae Capital Management Inc. Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Mcrae Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 126,879 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,467 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma comprises 4.6% of Mcrae Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Mcrae Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $22,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $207.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $24.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $187.39 and a 200 day moving average of $192.20. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $152.20 and a one year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

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.