Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.76

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of 0.76 per share by the specialty retailer on Friday, November 20th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th.

Williams-Sonoma has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 20 consecutive years. Williams-Sonoma has a dividend payout ratio of 33.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Williams-Sonoma to earn $10.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.0%.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock traded up $0.59 on Thursday, reaching $218.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,057,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,148,139. The stock has a market cap of $25.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $35,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $30,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its position 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.