Allianz Asset Management GmbH Sells 34,875 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH significantly decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 72.9% during the 1st quarter, now owning 12,936 shares valued at $2,045,000.
• Several hedge funds made contrasting moves, with Brighton Jones LLC and Schroder Investment Management Group increasing their stakes in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% and 82.3%, respectively.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66, representing an annualized yield of 1.39%, with a payout ratio of 29.90%.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 72.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,936 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 34,875 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM traded up $0.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $187.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,407,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,114,524. The firm has a market cap of $23.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.33 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $167.57 and a 200-day moving average of $173.62.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 52.79% and a net margin of 14.35%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.48 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total value of $5,045,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 966,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,617,782.86. The trade was a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Barclays set a $166.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Baird R W upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $178.41.

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.