JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 35,600 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

JPMorgan Chase & Co. trimmed its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,221,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 35,600 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 1.02% of Williams-Sonoma worth $238,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $167,927,000 after purchasing an additional 558,311 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $283,686,000 after purchasing an additional 401,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 623.0% during the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 394,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $64,418,000 after purchasing an additional 339,771 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $215.24 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $202.16 and its 200-day moving average is $195.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68, a PEG ratio of 3.16 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. Analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.11.

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.