Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 10,792 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,792 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,353,071.89. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $206.51 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $186.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.97.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.