Hsbc Holdings PLC Lowers Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 267,218 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 16,369 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $47,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 81.8% during the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. This trade represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% 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. Insiders sold 88,004 shares of company stock worth $16,420,107 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $226.32 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $26.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $197.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.08. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.90 and a 1-year high of $234.41.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 22.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.47.

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.