Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock: Insider Karalyn Yearout Sells 522 Shares

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction 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 transaction of $250,000.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded up $0.78 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $239.64. 1,108,410 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,149,918. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $234.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $215.33. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The company has a market cap of $28.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.48.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 72.1% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. now owns 451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,008,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 461,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $107,652,000 after acquiring an additional 22,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,376,872,000 after acquiring an additional 112,683 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.