Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC

Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,819 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 238 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 0.6% of Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $1,212,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. This represents a 32.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,690,666.52. The trade was a 43.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 79,227 shares of company stock valued at $12,962,573. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $161.70 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.01. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $182.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.06.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.