J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 7,607 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG has reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 28.3% in the first quarter, now owning 19,248 shares valued at approximately $3.04 million.
• Analysts have varying forecasts for Williams-Sonoma, with target prices ranging from $160.00 to $182.00 and a majority rating the stock as a "Hold."
• The company reported a net margin of 14.35% and a revenue increase of 4.2% year-over-year during its latest quarterly earnings, topping analysts' expectations.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 28.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,248 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,607 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $200.59. 200,877 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,954,928. The company has a market cap of $24.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.47. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $168.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.25. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays set a $166.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $178.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 996,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $163,825,013.91. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.