Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 56.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 22,966 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 29,489 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Groupe la Francaise boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 16,099 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Eukles Asset Management raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 12,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,458,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,293 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 88,451 shares of company stock worth $16,980,845. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $176.86 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $200.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.95. The company has a market cap of $21.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 29.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. UBS Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore set a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.