Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 27.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,902 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after purchasing an additional 87,642 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,473,000 after buying an additional 89,779 shares in the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $4,605,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,612,000 after acquiring an additional 56,578 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 55,320 shares of company stock worth $10,516,069 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $240.22 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.63 and a 12-month high of $244.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $201.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.77.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.47.

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.