Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber Sells 35,000 Shares

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

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

• On Wednesday, November 26th, Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27.
• On Tuesday, November 25th, Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total value of $3,184,439.89.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $211.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s fifty day moving average is $187.31 and its 200 day moving average is $189.88. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% during the third quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 16,099 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,977 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.71.

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.