Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Cuts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 93.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 14,500 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $222.85 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.76 and a 12-month high of $244.65. The stock has a market cap of $26.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $209.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $200.77.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 22.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,634 shares of company stock worth $9,812,283. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma 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.