Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Moran Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 21.7% during Q2, now holding approximately 223,034 shares valued at $36.4 million.
• CEOs and CFOs at Williams-Sonoma sold significant amounts of stock recently, with CEO Laura Alber divesting 90,000 shares worth over $18 million.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Williams-Sonoma, with estimates ranging from $202 to $230, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Moran Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 223,034 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 61,801 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 1.1% of Moran Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Moran Wealth Management LLC owned 0.18% of Williams-Sonoma worth $36,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 272.3% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 9,240 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,510,000 after buying an additional 6,758 shares in the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 2,913 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Concord Asset Management LLC VA boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 13,196 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,156,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 17.3% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 52,058 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $8,505,000 after purchasing an additional 7,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.1% during the second quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 202,459 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,076,000 after purchasing an additional 73,626 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total value of $18,015,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares in the company, valued at $175,534,477.59. This trade represents a 9.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total transaction of $626,942.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,787,999.92. The trade was a 8.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 114,153 shares of company stock worth $22,901,008. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on WSM. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $190.01 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $197.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.61. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, 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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.04%.

Williams-Sonoma 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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