Shell Asset Management Co. Sells 10,894 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Shell Asset Management Co. reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 70.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,652 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,894 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $909,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,205,000 after purchasing an additional 4,510 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,852,000 after buying an additional 4,961 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $194,947,000 after buying an additional 231,489 shares during the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 54.9% during the second quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,961,000 after buying an additional 8,592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 153.7% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 12,279 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,016,000 after buying an additional 7,439 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $214.29 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $200.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.35. The company has a market cap of $25.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $221.81.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.53.

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.