Hsbc Holdings PLC Has $49.08 Million Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,243 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $49,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Arjuna Capital boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.9%

WSM stock opened at $223.96 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $201.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma 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.