Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by OLD National Bancorp IN

OLD National Bancorp IN trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 17.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,687 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,753 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after buying an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,440,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $435,840,000 after buying an additional 170,991 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $342,797,000 after acquiring an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $316,920,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,661,365 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $296,703,000 after acquiring an additional 86,807 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective 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. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $239.02 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $28.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.63 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $200.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.22.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 22.17%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.