Optas LLC Buys New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Optas LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,926 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 34,152 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,324,000 after buying an additional 1,807 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 47,467 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $8,831,000 after buying an additional 4,512 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 463,799 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $85,886,000 after acquiring an additional 5,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $153.93 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The business's fifty day moving average is $156.83 and its 200 day moving average is $177.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced 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. 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 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. KeyCorp upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,018,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction of $129,646.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,572,715.72. This trade represents a 1.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,227 shares of company stock valued at $18,520,913 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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