Lbp Am Sa Cuts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Lbp Am Sa cut its stake in Williams‑Sonoma (WSM) by 30.7% in Q4, selling 13,628 shares and ending the period with 30,739 shares valued at about $5.49 million.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive — the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of roughly $209.56, and several recent upgrades (e.g., Goldman Sachs to $218, RBC to $214).
• Company insiders have been net sellers (CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares; insiders sold a total of 56,370 shares worth ~$10.27M in the last 90 days), even as Williams‑Sonoma raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annual $3.04, ~1.5% yield).

Lbp Am Sa lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 30.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,739 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 13,628 shares during the period. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $5,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% during the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $167,927,000 after purchasing an additional 558,311 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $93,439,000 after purchasing an additional 466,804 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $117,373,000 after purchasing an additional 453,214 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the chief financial officer 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 56,370 shares of company stock valued at $10,268,623. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $198.78 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $193.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.95. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.44 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a PE ratio of 22.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.28 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.83%.

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.

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