Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,506 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 14,716 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE WSM opened at $206.40 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $186.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.40. The stock has a market cap of $24.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $153,353,071.89. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.