Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Has $1.86 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 34.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,439 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,455 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,864,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 12,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,179,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 405.1% in the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 5,263 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $940,000 after buying an additional 4,221 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Norden Group LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 27.8% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $572,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. TD Cowen cut 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. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This trade 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 at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 88,451 shares of company stock valued at $16,980,845 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $180.70 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $198.93 and a 200-day moving average of $193.75. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.07 and a twelve month high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $21.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change 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 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.83%.

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.