Laura Alber Sells 35,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 26th, Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27.
• On Tuesday, November 25th, Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total transaction of $3,184,439.89.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $211.71 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $187.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.02. The stock has a market cap of $25.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Groupe la Francaise lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% during the third quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 16,099 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,146,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,977 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WSM. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.71.

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.