Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Reduces Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 63.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,001 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,273 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $547,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 156.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 322,583 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $58,817,000 after purchasing an additional 196,642 shares during the period. Maridea Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $264,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,112,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,321,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.1%

WSM opened at $222.85 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $161.76 and a 52 week high of $244.65. The stock has a market cap of $26.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50 day moving average of $209.02 and a 200-day moving average of $200.77.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 51,634 shares of company stock valued at $9,812,283. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.65.

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.