Laura Alber Sells 15,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Key Points

• CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 Williams-Sonoma shares on May 27 at $200 each, totaling $3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Williams-Sonoma reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 versus $1.80 expected and revenue of $1.81 billion, up 4.4% year over year. The company also continues to show strong profitability, including a 13.81% net margin.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share, or $3.04 annualized, giving it a 1.5% yield. Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $209.06.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% 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 this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, May 14th, Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00.
• On Friday, April 17th, Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00.
• On Monday, March 16th, Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $1.71 during trading on Friday, hitting $203.89. 1,717,737 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,188,925. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.49. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $185.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $152.20 and a 1-year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.06.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,029,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $202,129,000 after acquiring an additional 561,977 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 16,951 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,091,000 after acquiring an additional 5,570 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% in the first quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas now owns 49,980 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $9,113,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Advisors MI lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.9% in the first quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 9,166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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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