Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 4.6% in Q4, selling 13,532 shares to hold 279,918 shares worth about $49.99 million (≈0.23% of the company).
• Insider selling accelerated: CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares at an average of $183.04 (≈$3.66M), and insiders have sold a total of 56,370 shares valued at $10.27M in the last 90 days (insiders own 1.10%).
• Company update: Williams‑Sonoma beat quarterly EPS expectations ($3.04 vs. $2.90) despite a revenue decline, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.6% yield).

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 279,918 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 13,532 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Williams-Sonoma worth $49,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 56,370 shares of company stock valued at $10,268,623 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $192.84 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $194.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.92. The company has a market cap of $22.95 billion, a PE ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.44 and a 52-week high of $222.00.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on WSM. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.56.

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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