Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,572,715.72. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
Jeffrey Howie also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, March 27th, Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48.
- On Thursday, February 27th, Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56.
Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.9 %
Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $146.01 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $168.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.89. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.44 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.30%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 70,407 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $11,131,000 after purchasing an additional 11,727 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 26.4% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 44,398 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,019,000 after acquiring an additional 9,266 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,319 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $208,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archford Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at $3,006,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Robert W. Baird upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $178.93.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Williams-Sonoma
Williams-Sonoma Company Profile
(
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Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.
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