Insider Selling: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Sells $250,000.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,179,250. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88.
• On Monday, June 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total value of $106,002.54.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $251.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $29.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $205.30. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $252.99.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.82.

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.