HS Management Partners LLC Sells 28,487 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• HS Management Partners LLC reduced its Williams-Sonoma stake by 34.9% in the first quarter, selling 28,487 shares and leaving it with 53,088 shares worth about $9.68 million.
• Insider selling has also been notable, with CEO Laura Alber and CFO Jeffrey Howie both trimming holdings; over the past 90 days, insiders sold 55,320 shares valued at roughly $10.5 million.
• Analysts remain mixed on WSM, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47, while the stock recently traded at $227.20 after a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report.

HS Management Partners LLC cut its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 34.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 53,088 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 28,487 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 3.4% of HS Management Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. HS Management Partners LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,680,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value 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 trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $227.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.76 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $203.52 and a 200-day moving average of $198.85.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.17%.

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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