Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) was in 16 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of March. WSM investors should pay attention to a decrease in hedge fund interest of late. There were 23 hedge funds in our database with WSM holdings at the end of the previous quarter.
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Keeping this in mind, we’re going to take a peek at the latest action regarding Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM).
How have hedgies been trading Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)?
In preparation for this quarter, a total of 16 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of -30% from one quarter earlier.
Judging by the fact that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has witnessed falling interest from the smart money, logic holds that there lies a certain “tier” of hedgies who were dropping their entire stakes in Q1. Interestingly, Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group dumped the largest position of the “upper crust” of funds we key on, totaling close to $76.9 million in stock. Robert Pohly’s fund, Samlyn Capital, also said goodbye to its stock, about $61.3 million worth. These transactions are intriguing to say the least, as aggregate hedge fund interest was cut by 7 funds in Q1.
What do corporate executives and insiders think about Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)?
Insider purchases made by high-level executives is best served when the company in focus has experienced transactions within the past half-year. Over the latest six-month time frame, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has experienced zero unique insiders purchasing, and 6 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
Let’s also take a look at hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM). These stocks are Gordmans Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:GMAN), Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (NYSE:HVT), Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE:RH), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), and Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE:PIR). This group of stocks are the members of the home furnishing stores industry and their market caps are similar to WSM’s market cap.
Company Name | # of Hedge Funds | # of Insiders Buying | # of Insiders Selling |
Gordmans Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:GMAN) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (NYSE:HVT) | 10 | 0 | 12 |
Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE:RH) | 7 | 0 | 3 |
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) | 28 | 0 | 6 |
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE:PIR) | 16 | 0 | 9 |
With the returns demonstrated by our strategies, everyday investors must always pay attention to hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) is no exception.