Citigroup Inc. Trims Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Citigroup Inc. lowered its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 74.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,243 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 386,241 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $20,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.6%

WSM opened at $210.23 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $174.14 and its 200 day moving average is $173.43. The company has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 3.35 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.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $178.41.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total value of $675,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total value of $5,045,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 90 days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,279,580. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.