Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $288.73 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,430,924 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 25,237 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 2.23% of Williams-Sonoma worth $288,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 129.3% during the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 820.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $304.94 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $286.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.69. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $109.44 and a fifty-two week high of $319.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.59 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.72.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.06 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 55.15%. The business’s revenue was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 31.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $261.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $155.00 to $270.00 in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $146.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $256.19.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total transaction of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,433,123.66. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Marta Benson sold 17,816 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.19, for a total value of $5,490,713.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 68,597 shares in the company, valued at $21,140,909.43. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total transaction of $5,674,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares in the company, valued at $143,433,123.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.