Cumberland Partners Ltd Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Cumberland Partners Ltd cut its Williams-Sonoma stake by 30.6% in Q1, selling 7,480 shares and ending the period with 16,980 shares valued at about $3.1 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $1.93 per share on revenue of $1.81 billion, with revenue up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $213.12.

Cumberland Partners Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 30.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,980 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,480 shares during the quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $226.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $26.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.63. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% 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 have sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

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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