Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 41.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 17,633 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for 2.2% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $233.92 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $27.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.19, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $244.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $219.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $203.54.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WSM shares. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.47.

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.