Vise Technologies Inc. Buys 3,165 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,786 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Latitude Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 853,524 shares in the company, valued at $188,799,508.80. This trade represents a 3.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total value of $200,199.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,371,124.56. This represents a 7.79% 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 sold 39,361 shares of company stock valued at $8,738,903 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $258.63 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $238.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $215.78. The stock has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $274.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Argus upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $247.89.

About Williams-Sonoma

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

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.