5,642 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Purchased by Western Wealth Management LLC

Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 5,642 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,029,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $245.38 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $228.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $206.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The company has a market capitalization of $28.89 billion, a PE ratio of 27.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore set a $240.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. One equities 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.29.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% 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.