Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Reduces Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,142 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,631 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $33,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $43,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of WSM traded down $1.61 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $158.83. 3,326,715 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,999,221. The firm has a market cap of $19.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 2.57 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $157.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.02.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during 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 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $176.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total value of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at $168,826,041.72. This represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. The trade was a 43.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 113,227 shares of company stock valued at $18,520,913. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.