M&T Bank Corp Has $3.65 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

M&T Bank Corp lowered its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 15.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,073 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 4,195 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $352,283,000 after purchasing an additional 249,389 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $290,121,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 989,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $183,273,000 after buying an additional 386,500 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 645,402 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $119,516,000 after buying an additional 24,741 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $87,148,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WSM traded down $1.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $174.97. The company had a trading volume of 837,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,968,179. The company has a market capitalization of $21.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.93. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 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 business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.48 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price 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. Finally, Wedbush lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.75.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 996,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $163,825,013.91. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,990,946 in the last quarter. 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.