Royal Bank of Canada Sells 13,098 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 10.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 108,905 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 13,098 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $19,857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Arjuna Capital raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $248.60 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $204.73. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $252.99. The stock has a market cap of $29.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.84, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore set a $240.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.82.

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.