Twin Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Twin Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 50.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,426 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 11,772 shares during the quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position 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 boosted its holdings 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 raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $220.81 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $221.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.98. The company has a market capitalization of $26.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.64.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.83.

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.