Key Points
- CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares on April 8 at an average price of $188.45 for $267,410.55 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his holdings to 34,138 shares (a 3.99% decrease); he had also sold 32,684 shares on March 26 at about $180.64 per share.
- Williams‑Sonoma reported quarterly EPS of $3.04, beating estimates by $0.14, while revenue declined 4.3% year-over-year to $2.36 billion.
- The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (from $0.66), a $3.04 annualized payout with a ~1.6% yield; the ex-dividend/record date is April 17 and the payment date is May 22.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Jeffrey Howie also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, March 26th, Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76.
Williams-Sonoma Price Performance
NYSE WSM opened at $189.20 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.12. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $134.44 and a one year high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.58.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The business had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.83%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $209.56.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Williams-Sonoma
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its position 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 valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.
Williams-Sonoma Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
