Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by HS Management Partners LLC

HS Management Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 50,842 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 3.1% of HS Management Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $14,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock valued at $16,720,823 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.94.

Key Stories Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Williams-Sonoma posted adjusted EPS of $1.93, topping consensus of $1.80, and revenue of $1.81 billion, slightly ahead of estimates, signaling strong execution in a still-challenging home retail backdrop. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Comparable brand revenue rose 4.8%, with growth across all four major brands, including standout performance from West Elm and Pottery Barn, showing broad-based demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted disciplined cost control, resilient margins, and strong shareholder returns, including $288 million in buybacks and $85 million in dividends during the quarter. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated full-year comparable sales guidance of 2% to 6%, suggesting confidence in the business but also acknowledging ongoing uncertainty around tariffs and fuel costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company warned that tariffs and fuel-price volatility could pressure future margins and create headwinds even as current quarter results remained strong. Article Title

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $192.95 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.20 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $184.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.69.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 51.83%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 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.