Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 16.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,079 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at $253,000. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 410,573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $80,246,000 after purchasing an additional 31,681 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,961 shares during the period. LBP AM SA increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 44,367 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,672,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $195,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.8%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $215.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $193.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.36. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.07 and a 52 week high of $220.93. The stock has a market cap of $25.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.83.

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.