Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Has $354,000 Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE cut its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 53.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,943 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,216 shares during the quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $354,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $227.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $202.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.66. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $161.76 and a 1-year high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 55,320 shares of company stock valued at $10,516,069. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.