Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,172,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 433,128 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Williams-Sonoma worth $2,709,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $187.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.39 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Citigroup raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.