Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells $3,452,200.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a 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.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, April 17th, Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00.
• On Monday, March 16th, Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $180.52 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $183.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $147.39 and a 12 month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Barclays upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.