Congress Asset Management Co. Has $229,000 Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Congress Asset Management Co. decreased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 77.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,283 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,500 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after purchasing an additional 4,510 shares during the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,852,000 after buying an additional 4,961 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $194,947,000 after buying an additional 231,489 shares during the last quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $55,215,000 after buying an additional 80,044 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM opened at $180.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.64. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $201.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.45. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,767 shares of company stock valued at $11,076,808. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.56.

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.