Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout Sells 1,112 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Monday, June 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total transaction of $106,002.54.
• On Wednesday, April 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:WSM opened at $227.61 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $154.11 and a 1-year high of $230.95. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 29.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.47.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $202,129,000 after buying an additional 561,977 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.