Federated Hermes Inc. Cuts Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 16.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,079 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,644,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $72,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $215.79 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $220.93. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.36. The company has a market capitalization of $25.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on WSM. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.83.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.