Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) EVP Sells $124,945.92 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,708,929.28. This represents a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 7th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $251.82 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $234.11 and its 200 day moving average is $216.71.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WSM. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,376,872,000 after purchasing an additional 112,683 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $485,833,000 after purchasing an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $269,640,000 after purchasing an additional 20,886 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.