Moran Wealth Management LLC Has $35.35 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 6.9% in Q4 to 197,953 shares worth about $35.35 million, representing roughly 1.1% of Moran's portfolio and its 11th-largest holding.
• Institutional ownership stands at 99.29%, with large position increases from firms like Principal Financial Group (997,414 shares, ~$194.95M) and Nordea Investment Management (972,810 shares, ~$174.47M).
• Williams‑Sonoma recently beat quarterly EPS expectations ($3.04 vs. $2.90), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.5% yield), and has a MarketBeat consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $209.56 target.

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 197,953 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 14,711 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises approximately 1.1% of Moran Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Moran Wealth Management LLC owned 0.17% of Williams-Sonoma worth $35,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,205,000 after purchasing an additional 4,510 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,852,000 after buying an additional 4,961 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $194,947,000 after buying an additional 231,489 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $174,473,000 after buying an additional 89,779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $55,215,000 after acquiring an additional 80,044 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $198.78 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $193.72 and its 200-day moving average is $192.95. The firm has a market capitalization 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.44 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was 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 $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 56,370 shares of company stock worth $10,268,623 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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