Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,227 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 24.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,387 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,227 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $424,000. Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $749,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $193,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the 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 owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the 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 represents a 8.85% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.9%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $198.17 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $184.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $191.67. The firm has a market cap of $23.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.20 and a twelve month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $207.94.

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.