Insider Selling: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Sells $106,002.54 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total value of $106,002.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,829 shares in the company, valued at $4,635,885.03. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Wednesday, April 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $223.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.20 and a 52-week high of $224.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $191.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.71.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. 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 report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

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.