UBS Group AG Sells 405,692 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 37.1%, selling 405,692 shares in Q4 and now holds 688,644 shares (about 0.58% of the company) valued at roughly $122.99 million.
• Dividend increase: Williams‑Sonoma raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 from $0.66 (annualized $3.04), implying a ~1.7% yield and a payout ratio near 29.8% (ex‑dividend April 17, payment May 22).
• Insider selling: Insiders sold 71,370 shares over the last quarter — including CEO Laura Alber (15,000) and CFO Jeffrey Howie (1,419) — mostly executed under Rule 10b5‑1 plans; insiders now own ~1.10% of the stock.

UBS Group AG reduced its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 37.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 688,644 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 405,692 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.58% of Williams-Sonoma worth $122,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 958,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $191,704,800. This represents a 1.54% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WSM. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.7%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $179.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $21.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.50. The firm's fifty day moving average is $189.85 and its 200 day moving average is $192.91. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $147.39 and a 52-week high of $222.00.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company 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%. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.2 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.