Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 19,598 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 7.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 260,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 19,598 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $47,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. 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 51,634 shares of company stock valued at $9,812,283 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $221.80 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $161.76 and a 52-week high of $244.65. The stock has a market cap of $26.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $206.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $200.11.

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. The company 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 22.17%.

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.