Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,980 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 9,627 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $15,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Groupe la Francaise boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 3.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.6% during the third quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,879 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $200.76.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $204.50 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.20.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid 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 yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.04%.

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.