Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Winnow Wealth LLC

Winnow Wealth LLC lessened its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 94.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 309 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,054 shares during the quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $55,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Westerkirk Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 71.1% in the 4th quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. now owns 19,488 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,480,000 after purchasing an additional 8,100 shares during the period. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments now owns 17,100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $250,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $741,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 68.6% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,174 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,390,000 after buying an additional 35,070 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 5.5%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $213.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average of $189.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.97. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.20 and a 52-week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. 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 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

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.