Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CFO Jeffrey Howie Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Jeffrey Howie also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 2nd, Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $628,440.00.
• On Thursday, May 1st, Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.78, for a total transaction of $627,120.00.
• On Tuesday, April 22nd, Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $129,646.35.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of WSM opened at $173.19 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $21.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $175.66.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 52.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. UBS Group lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 21.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,630,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,471,152,000 after acquiring an additional 2,797,562 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $352,283,000 after purchasing an additional 249,389 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $290,121,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 34.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,436,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $227,164,000 after buying an additional 365,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 31.0% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,076,959 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $170,267,000 after buying an additional 254,550 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% 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.