Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 306,392 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 53,706 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $69,839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,376,872,000 after acquiring an additional 112,683 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $269,640,000 after acquiring an additional 20,886 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $253.05 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $256.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $234.27 and its 200 day moving average is $218.73. The company has a market capitalization of $29.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.48.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at $4,708,929.28. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 853,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $188,799,508.80. This represents a 3.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 40,883 shares of company stock valued at $9,117,518. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $247.94.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related products. The company operates a portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.