Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout Sells 522 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,708,929.28. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 7th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $239.64 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $234.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.73. The stock has a market cap of $28.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.48. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 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, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 72.1% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. now owns 451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Eastern Bank increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 3.4% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,008,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 5.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 461,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $107,652,000 after buying an additional 22,833 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,376,872,000 after buying an additional 112,683 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Evercore set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

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

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.