Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Position Reduced by Mcrae Capital Management Inc.

Mcrae Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 126,879 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,467 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma accounts for about 4.6% of Mcrae Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. owned 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $22,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at $143,967,732.48. This represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $207.41 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $152.20 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $187.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.20. The stock has a market cap of $24.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its 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 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.33 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.56%.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.