ABN Amro Investment Solutions Sells 6,945 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

ABN Amro Investment Solutions cut its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,932 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 6,945 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Groupe la Francaise grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% during the third quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 16,099 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Eukles Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 12,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,458,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,293 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of WSM opened at $214.29 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $221.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $199.30 and its 200-day moving average is $195.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.53.

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.