Bank of Stockton Reduces Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Bank of Stockton cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 36.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,776 shares during the quarter. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after acquiring an additional 87,642 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,473,000 after purchasing an additional 89,779 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 45,278 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,612,000 after purchasing an additional 56,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,173,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target 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. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 51,634 shares of company stock worth $9,812,283 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of WSM opened at $222.57 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $204.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $199.48. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.76 and a 12 month high of $244.65. The company has a market cap of $26.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.