Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 39,391 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings cut its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 73.4%, selling 39,391 shares in Q3 and leaving 14,252 shares worth about $2.79 million.
• CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares on Jan. 15 for roughly $7.26 million, a 4.16% reduction that left her with 806,537 shares.
• Meanwhile, large institutions were net buyers—State Street, Invesco, First Trust and JPMorgan all increased positions and Norges Bank opened a new ~$212 million stake—leaving institutional ownership at 99.29% and a MarketBeat consensus of a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $203.22.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 73.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,252 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 39,391 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,786,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $978,864,000 after buying an additional 127,597 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $284,532,000 after acquiring an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $283,686,000 after acquiring an additional 401,138 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $212,107,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $205,317,000 after acquiring an additional 389,548 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. 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. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Evercore set a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $203.22.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $186.77 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.64. The business's 50 day moving average price is $204.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.68.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.