Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock: Modera Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings

Modera Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 4.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 158,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,127 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $36,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,376,872,000 after buying an additional 112,683 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $269,640,000 after acquiring an additional 20,886 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. 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 note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.89.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $252.64 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $236.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $214.75. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $263.65. The company has a market capitalization of $29.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.48.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,179,250. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total transaction of $200,199.16. Following the sale, the director owned 9,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,124.56. The trade was a 7.79% 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. Insiders sold 40,883 shares of company stock worth $9,117,518 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

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.