Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 2.8%, selling 433,128 shares and holding 15,172,744 shares (about 12.71% of the company) worth roughly $2.71 billion at quarter end.
• Williams‑Sonoma posted $3.04 EPS, beating estimates by $0.14 while revenue fell 4.3% year‑over‑year to $2.36 billion, reflecting strong margins but a mixed top line.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.6% yield), and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $209.56 price target.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,172,744 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 433,128 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 12.71% of Williams-Sonoma worth $2,709,700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup upped 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. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $187.27 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $147.39 and a one year high of $222.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.29 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current 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 given 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 is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value 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 $191,704,800. This represents a 1.54% 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 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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