Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stake Lessened by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings cut its Williams-Sonoma stake by 63.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,989 shares and leaving it with 5,263 shares valued at about $940,000.
• Williams-Sonoma reported Q4 earnings of $3.04 per share, beating analyst estimates, though revenue of $2.36 billion came in below expectations and was down 4.3% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $209.06.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. decreased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 63.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,263 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 8,989 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on WSM. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $171.87 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $147.39 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $20.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $192.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.Williams-Sonoma's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.83%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 71,370 shares of company stock valued at $13,268,623 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

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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