Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock: Insider Anne Finucane Sells 794 Shares

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Director Anne Finucane sold 794 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total value of $200,199.16. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,124.56. This represents a 7.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $249.88 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $234.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $216.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $255.33. The firm has a market cap of $29.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.48.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during 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 company’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 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. 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 presently 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,376,872,000 after buying an additional 112,683 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after buying an additional 224,128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $269,640,000 after buying an additional 20,886 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.