Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock: Insider Karalyn Yearout Sells 522 Shares

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,708,929.28. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Friday, August 7th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of WSM opened at $242.58 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $234.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.17.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Argus raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,703,000 after acquiring an additional 45,278 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $801,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.1% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 302,105 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,540,000 after acquiring an additional 32,644 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 319.2% in the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 6,673 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 5,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 313.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 49,821 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $11,613,000 after purchasing an additional 37,764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is an omnichannel specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related lifestyle products. The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.