Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Sells 57,316 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 36.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 100,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 57,316 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $15,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $352,283,000 after acquiring an additional 249,389 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 64.1% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 989,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $183,273,000 after acquiring an additional 386,500 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 645,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $119,516,000 after acquiring an additional 24,741 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1,272.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 512,846 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,081,000 after acquiring an additional 475,484 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $87,148,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $187.68 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $167.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.45. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $23.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.47.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. KeyCorp raised Williams-Sonoma from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Baird R W raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 996,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $163,825,013.91. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total value of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580. Company insiders own 1.10% 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.