HS Management Partners LLC Sells 28,487 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

HS Management Partners LLC lessened its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 34.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,088 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 28,487 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma makes up approximately 3.4% of HS Management Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $227.20 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $161.76 and a 52 week high of $244.65. The company has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.44, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $198.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm 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%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

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.