Cibc World Market Inc. Decreases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Cibc World Market Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 33.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,760 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,772 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $202.28 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $188.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $152.20 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $23.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.06.

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.