Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,369 shares and leaving it with 267,218 shares worth about $47.8 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates of $1.80 and revenue of $1.81 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 4.4% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, payable August 21, implying a 1.3% annual yield, while analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $211.47.

Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 267,218 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 16,369 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.22% of Williams-Sonoma worth $47,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 6,469 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,155,000 after buying an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,257 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 132,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $23,668,000 after purchasing an additional 15,452 shares during the period. Strategic Advisory Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $227.20 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $161.76 and a one year high of $244.65. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $203.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.95.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.47.

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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