Mcrae Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Mcrae Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,346 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,000 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises 5.2% of Mcrae Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. owned 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $26,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $978,864,000 after purchasing an additional 127,597 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $283,686,000 after buying an additional 401,138 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $212,107,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $205,317,000 after buying an additional 389,548 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:WSM opened at $214.10 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.07 and a twelve month high of $221.81. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $201.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $195.65. The company has a market cap of $25.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’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 owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $202.11.

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.