Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 59,659 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 881,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 59,659 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $157,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after purchasing an additional 87,642 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,473,000 after purchasing an additional 89,779 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,605,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,612,000 after purchasing an additional 56,578 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over 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 Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $205.03 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $152.20 and a twelve month high of $222.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $188.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.55. The company has a market capitalization of $24.14 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced 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 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.06.

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.