CPC Advisors LLC Sells 3,540 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

CPC Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,224 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,540 shares during the quarter. CPC Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $167,927,000 after buying an additional 558,311 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 740.4% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 591,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $96,664,000 after buying an additional 521,283 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after acquiring an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $283,686,000 after acquiring an additional 401,138 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total value of $3,184,439.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 859,088 shares in the company, valued at $153,355,798.88. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $206.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.97. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WSM. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen lowered 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma 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.