HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,714 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,617 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $15,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $207.94.

Key Stories Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Williams-Sonoma posted adjusted EPS of $1.93, topping consensus of $1.80, and revenue of $1.81 billion, slightly ahead of estimates, signaling strong execution in a still-challenging home retail backdrop. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Comparable brand revenue rose 4.8%, with growth across all four major brands, including standout performance from West Elm and Pottery Barn, showing broad-based demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted disciplined cost control, resilient margins, and strong shareholder returns, including $288 million in buybacks and $85 million in dividends during the quarter. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated full-year comparable sales guidance of 2% to 6%, suggesting confidence in the business but also acknowledging ongoing uncertainty around tariffs and fuel costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company warned that tariffs and fuel-price volatility could pressure future margins and create headwinds even as current quarter results remained strong. Article Title

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $192.95 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.69. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.20 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.83% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.