Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Increased by Larson Financial Group LLC

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 82.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 601 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 272 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 129.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 820.0% in 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 during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 231 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $220.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $270.00 in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total value of $330,973.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,013,591.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3 %

WSM opened at $281.70 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.44 and a 1-year high of $319.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50 day moving average of $274.09 and a 200-day moving average of $216.87.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.06 by $0.38. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 55.15% and a net margin of 12.25%. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.50 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.02%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.