Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Sells $4,973,400.00 in Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $168,826,041.72. This represents a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, January 21st, Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $158.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.54 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $193.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.24. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.93.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 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.