Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 3,361 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 173,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,361 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma makes up about 2.4% of Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $31,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the 2nd 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 stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the 2nd 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 period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WSM opened at $203.89 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $152.20 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.90. The stock has a market cap of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly 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 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective 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, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.06.

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.