Insider Selling: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CFO Sells 32,684 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $175.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.64. The company’s fifty day moving average is $200.80 and its 200 day moving average is $194.25. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Groupe la Francaise increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% in the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.