Key Points
- Williams-Sonoma CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares on May 14 at an average price of $172.61, totaling about $3.45 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and she still held 938,524 shares afterward.
- The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, putting the annualized payout at $3.04 and the dividend yield at 1.8%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.83%.
- Williams-Sonoma beat EPS expectations in its latest earnings report, posting $3.04 per share versus the $2.90 consensus, though revenue of $2.36 billion came in below estimates and fell 4.3% year over year. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $206.38.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, April 17th, Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00.
- On Monday, March 16th, Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00.
Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%
NYSE:WSM opened at $169.01 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.39 and a twelve month high of $222.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.49. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $184.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.99.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.83%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WSM. 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. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.38.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WSM
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,961 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $194,947,000 after purchasing an additional 231,489 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $174,473,000 after purchasing an additional 89,779 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $55,215,000 after purchasing an additional 80,044 shares during the period. Finally, Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $4,605,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Williams-Sonoma
(
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.
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