BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 82,316 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S sharply reduced its Williams-Sonoma stake by 80.4% in the first quarter, selling 82,316 shares and leaving it with 20,042 shares valued at about $3.65 million.
• Insider selling was also notable: CEO Laura Alber and EVP Karalyn Yearout both sold shares, and insiders collectively sold 88,004 shares worth $16.4 million over the past 90 days.
• Williams-Sonoma reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates and revenue of $1.81 billion topping expectations, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 80.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,042 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 82,316 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 88,004 shares of company stock valued at $16,420,107 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.4%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $225.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $196.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.74. The company has a market capitalization of $26.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.11 and a 52 week high of $234.41.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One investment 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $211.47.

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.

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