TD Asset Management Inc Purchases 21,415 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Key Points

• TD Asset Management Inc significantly increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 95.4% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 21,415 shares to reach total holdings worth $6.93 million.
• Williams-Sonoma's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target averaging $178.41.
• The company recently declared a $0.66 quarterly dividend, which reflects an annualized yield of 1.4% based on its current stock price.

TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 95.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,861 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 21,415 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Zelman & Associates assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, May 15th. They set an "underperform" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Robert W. Baird upgraded 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. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $178.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 996,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $186.82 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.45. The company's 50-day moving average is $166.98 and its 200 day moving average is $173.65.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.90%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.