Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 264,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,503 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.22% of Williams-Sonoma worth $60,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 4,724 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,193,000 after buying an additional 983 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.3% in the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,803 shares during the period. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,885,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth $7,371,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 9,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,124.56. This trade represents a 7.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 853,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $188,799,508.80. This represents a 3.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 39,883 shares of company stock valued at $8,867,518. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $259.00 target price (down from $260.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $247.89.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $269.82 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.54. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $271.89. The company has a market capitalization of $31.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. 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, décor, kitchenware and related products. The company operates a portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.