The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 5,529 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 7.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 67,260 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,529 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $12,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $228.89 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $221.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $203.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $244.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.63, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Piper Sandler began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 over the last 90 days. Corporate 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.