Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 50,565 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden sold 50,565 shares, trimming its Williams‑Sonoma stake by 15.4% to 277,385 shares valued at about $49.54 million (≈0.23% ownership).
• Williams‑Sonoma reported quarterly EPS of $3.04, beating estimates by $0.14, while revenue fell 4.3% year‑over‑year to $2.36 billion and profitability remained strong (ROE 51.45%, net margin 13.94%).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.5% yield), amid notable insider selling — 71,370 shares sold in the past 90 days, including CEO Laura Alber's 15,000‑share sale.

Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 277,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 50,565 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.23% of Williams-Sonoma worth $49,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $202.42 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $193.11 and its 200 day moving average is $192.99. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.42 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.09 billion, a PE ratio of 22.87, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.28 EPS. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 958,524 shares in the company, valued at $191,704,800. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.56.

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.

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