Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ cut its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 8.2% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 36,747 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,264 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on WSM. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $227.20 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $198.66. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $161.76 and a 1-year high of $244.65. The firm has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

About Williams-Sonoma

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.