Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock: Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Lowers Holdings

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 22.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 393,877 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 114,829 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $89,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 54.2% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,401 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $93,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,952 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,408,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. QTR Family Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $224,000. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total transaction of $200,199.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,371,124.56. The trade was a 7.79% 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, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total value of $671,757.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,531,184.18. This trade represents a 8.19% 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 three months, insiders sold 39,361 shares of company stock valued at $8,738,903. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Argus raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $259.00 target price (down from $260.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.17.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $261.46 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $274.45. The company has a market capitalization of $30.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.25.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, kitchenware and related products. Its portfolio includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham, with offerings ranging from cookware and furniture to lighting, textiles, décor and gifts.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams as a cookware shop in Sonoma, California, the company has grown into a multichannel retailer. It sells through its websites and retail stores, serving customers in North America and select international markets.

Laura Alber is the company’s chief executive officer.