Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells $5,219,600.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, September 16th, Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.5 %

WSM stock opened at $137.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.24 and a 12-month high of $174.26. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.44.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 27.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 186.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,536 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after buying an additional 4,901 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 97.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 3,038 shares during the period. Novare Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 68.7% during the 3rd quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 10,145 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,572,000 after buying an additional 4,132 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 105.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 173,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,897,000 after buying an additional 88,936 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 110.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 244,846 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,932,000 after purchasing an additional 128,523 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.