Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Grows Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 32.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,779 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 12,440 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $35,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total value of $4,929,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 996,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $163,825,013.91. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,915 shares of company stock worth $8,203,186. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 2.3%

WSM opened at $169.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $162.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.14. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. KeyCorp raised Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird raised Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.75.

Williams-Sonoma 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.

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