Modera Wealth Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Modera Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 4.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 175,768 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,971 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $32,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE WSM opened at $228.50 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $210.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $201.24. The stock has a market cap of $26.91 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. 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. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

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.