Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp reduced its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 53.8% in Q4, selling 95,327 shares and now holding 81,728 shares (about 0.07% of the company) worth ~$14.6 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers—71,370 shares sold in the last 90 days, including CFO and CEO dispositions—while institutional ownership remains very high at 99.29%.
• Wall Street consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a mean target of ~$209.56, even as WSM trades near $181.40; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, yield ~1.7%).

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 53.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,728 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 95,327 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.07% of Williams-Sonoma worth $14,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the third 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. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,961 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $55,215,000 after buying an additional 80,044 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.1%

WSM opened at $181.40 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $189.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.91. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.39 and a 1-year high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $21.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.29 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 the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.28 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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