Insider Selling: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Sells $695,765.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total transaction of $695,765.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,656.37. This represents a 20.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM opened at $201.58 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $196.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.66. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.52.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Maseco LLP acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Argus set a $212.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.11.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.