Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Sells 2,216 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE trimmed its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 53.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,943 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,216 shares during the quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew 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 worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its holdings 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 worth $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $227.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $202.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.66. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $161.76 and a 52-week high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 22.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 55,320 shares of company stock worth $10,516,069. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.