Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells $7,258,650.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 26th, Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total transaction of $2,201,992.27.
• On Tuesday, November 25th, Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total transaction of $3,184,439.89.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.8%

WSM traded up $1.71 on Friday, hitting $211.71. The company had a trading volume of 1,031,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,196,816. The company has a market cap of $25.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $187.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $189.54. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $219.98.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. 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 presently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.71.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $212,107,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.