First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Sells 8,277 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 76.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,596 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,277 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were 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 directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8%

WSM opened at $208.44 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.91. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $24.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on 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 cut their price objective on 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 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.76.

Williams-Sonoma 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.