Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Sells 14,716 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 41.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,506 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 14,716 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,236.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.8%

WSM opened at $206.40 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $24.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $186.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.40. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total value of $3,184,439.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 859,088 shares in the company, valued at $153,355,798.88. This trade represents a 2.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams?Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi?brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher?end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.