Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management trimmed its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 3% to 435,714 shares (about $77.8M), while several other institutions (Boston Partners, Voya, First Trust, Wellington, Victory) materially increased positions — institutional investors now own roughly 99.29% of the stock.
• Williams‑Sonoma raised its quarterly dividend from $0.66 to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.6% yield); the ex‑dividend date is April 17 and the payment is scheduled for May 22.
• Insiders have been selling recently (CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares and insiders sold 92,137 shares worth about $17.7M in the past three months), and the company reported mixed results — EPS beat at $3.04 vs. $2.90 but revenue declined 4.3% year‑over‑year.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. decreased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 435,714 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 13,606 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.36% of Williams-Sonoma worth $77,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $254,778,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $167,927,000 after purchasing an additional 558,311 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $93,439,000 after purchasing an additional 466,804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 307.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 600,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $117,373,000 after purchasing an additional 453,214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 92,137 shares of company stock worth $17,684,631 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on WSM. Citigroup increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of WSM opened at $189.20 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.44 and a 52-week high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $22.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.03.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share 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%.The company's revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.83%.

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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