Vest Financial LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 57.1%, owning 202,459 shares valued at approximately $33.1 million.
• Insider sales were noted, with EVP David Randolph King selling 17,500 shares and CEO Laura Alber selling 90,000 shares, both representing significant decreases in their respective ownership stakes.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, with a payout ratio of 29.04%, reflecting its ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Vest Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 57.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 202,459 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 73,626 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.16% of Williams-Sonoma worth $33,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total transaction of $3,563,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 98,560 shares in the company, valued at $20,066,816. This represents a 15.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total value of $18,015,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $175,534,477.59. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 144,153 shares of company stock valued at $27,946,408. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of WSM opened at $181.42 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $198.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.39. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $22.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.11.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

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