Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Has $157.47 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs trimmed its Williams-Sonoma stake by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, but still held 881,733 shares valued at about $157.5 million at the end of the period.
• Insider selling was notable, with CFO Jeffrey Howie and CEO Laura Alber both selling shares recently; insiders sold a total of 106,370 shares worth about $19.7 million over the last three months.
• Williams-Sonoma reported solid results and raised its dividend, posting EPS of $1.93 on revenue of $1.81 billion and increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 881,733 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 59,659 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 0.74% of Williams-Sonoma worth $157,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $93,439,000 after acquiring an additional 466,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $117,373,000 after acquiring an additional 453,214 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $205.03 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $24.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.20 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.55.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report 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 report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.06.

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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