Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Holdings Decreased by LRT Capital Management LLC

LRT Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,290 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 743 shares during the period. LRT Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,024 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,819,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $403,000. Finally, Cooper Financial Group boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,845 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $175.94.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $160.32 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $157.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $174.29. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.44 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total value of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $168,826,041.72. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.78, for a total transaction of $627,120.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,645,590.64. This represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 80,635 shares of company stock valued at $13,236,175. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.