Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 17.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,894 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,285 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. Groupe la Francaise lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.1% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,016 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $493,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.8% during the second quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM opened at $191.92 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $185.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $187.88. The stock has a market cap of $22.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.58. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 846,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,353,071.89. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.