Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $20.51 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its Williams-Sonoma stake by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 114,814 shares valued at about $20.5 million.
• Insider selling was notable, with CFO Jeffrey Howie and CEO Laura Alber both selling shares; insiders sold 86,892 shares worth about $16.2 million over the last 90 days.
• Williams-Sonoma beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $1.93 EPS on $1.81 billion in revenue, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 114,814 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 39,055 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned about 0.10% of Williams-Sonoma worth $20,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were 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 owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the 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 approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of 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 cut shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $222.85 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.11 and a 52-week high of $230.50. The stock has a market cap of $26.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $192.64 and a 200-day moving average of $194.15.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

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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