Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $1.35 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,890 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 9,952 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WSM. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,321 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,154 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 75.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,150 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 925 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.9% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,315 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 18.6% in the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 2,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $213.46 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $198.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.80. The company has a market capitalization of $25.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $221.81.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.04%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $202.53.

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.