Key Points
- Executive stock sale: EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 Williams-Sonoma shares for approximately $250,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing her holdings by 4.6% to 20,717 shares.
- Strong quarterly results: Williams-Sonoma reported $1.93 in quarterly EPS, beating estimates by $0.13, while revenue rose 4.4% year over year to $1.81 billion.
- Market and shareholder outlook: Shares opened at $246.57, near their 52-week high of $252.99. The company declared a $0.76 quarterly dividend, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus despite an average price target of $217.82.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,179,250. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Monday, June 15th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88.
- On Monday, June 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total transaction of $106,002.54.
Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance
Shares of WSM opened at $246.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.50. The company's fifty day moving average is $224.69 and its 200 day moving average is $204.98. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $252.99.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aristotle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $342,797,000 after acquiring an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $316,920,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $217.82.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Williams-Sonoma
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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