Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells $3,000,000.00 in Stock

Key Points

• CEO sale: Williams‑Sonoma CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares on April 17 at $200 each for $3.0M under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan, trimming her stake by 1.54% to 958,524 shares (≈$191.7M); she also sold 20,000 shares on March 16 at $183.04.
• Quarterly results: Williams‑Sonoma reported EPS of $3.04 (above the $2.90 estimate) while revenue fell 4.3% year‑over‑year, with the company trading at a market cap of ~$24.1B and a P/E of 22.87.
• Dividend and analyst view: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 ($3.04 annualized, 1.5% yield; ex‑dividend April 17), and consensus analyst coverage is a "Moderate Buy" with a $209.56 target price.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 958,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $191,704,800. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• 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 transaction of $3,660,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $202.42. 1,143,088 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,091,350. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $139.42 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $193.11 and a 200-day moving average of $192.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.28 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $1,112,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 11.1% in the first quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 622 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $2,321,000. Apella Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.4% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 7,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,323,000 after buying an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.56.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.