Dividend Assets Capital LLC Sells 7,909 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Dividend Assets Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 15.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 43,081 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,909 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for approximately 1.3% of Dividend Assets Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Dividend Assets Capital LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded down $0.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.93. 2,159,005 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,004,352. The company's 50 day moving average price is $156.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.77. The firm has a market cap of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.48 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at $168,826,041.72. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $628,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,031,138.68. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,227 shares of company stock worth $18,520,913 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.