Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Sells 4,467 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 37.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,467 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% in the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $181.84 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $188.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.85. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $147.39 and a twelve month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.83%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. The trade was a 8.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Barclays increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.