Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 7.3% during the second quarter, owning 58,140 shares worth approximately $10.07 million after selling 4,550 shares.
• Several other institutional investors increased their positions in Williams-Sonoma, with Mackenzie Financial Corp lifting its holdings by 68.3%, reflecting significant interest from the investment community.
• Williams-Sonoma reported strong quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $2.00, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 2.7% revenue increase compared to the previous year.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58,140 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 4,550 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $10,069,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 16,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,060,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 68.3% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 10,985 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,034,000 after purchasing an additional 4,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Argus set a $212.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, UBS Group set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $199.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total transaction of $3,563,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 98,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,066,816. This trade represents a 15.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total transaction of $18,015,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $175,534,477.59. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 144,653 shares of company stock valued at $27,926,483. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $196.76 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $193.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.52.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS 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. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be given 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 yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend 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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