Fisher Asset Management LLC Has $9.22 Million Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Fisher Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,822 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,220,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 91,370 shares of company stock valued at $16,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $203.43 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $185.11 and a 200-day moving average of $191.75. The stock has a market cap of $23.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.78, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.20 and a 52-week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WSM. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, May 18th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.94.

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.