Insider Selling: Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells 35,000 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 853,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $188,799,508.80. This trade represents a 3.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE WSM traded up $5.16 on Friday, reaching $224.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,727,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,159,980. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.47. The company’s fifty day moving average is $232.13 and its 200 day moving average is $209.74. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.The business’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st 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. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on high-quality home furnishings, housewares and lifestyle products. The company sells furniture, bedding, bath goods, lighting, rugs, window treatments, home décor, kitchen equipment, cookware, tabletop products, outdoor furnishings and related accessories through e-commerce platforms, catalogs and retail stores.

The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Rejuvenation.