Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC cut its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,071,121 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 34,215 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.87% of Williams-Sonoma worth $198,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM traded up $8.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $165.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,692,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,179,114. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $156.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $177.05. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.33 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.48 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. This represents a 43.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total transaction of $1,212,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. The trade was a 32.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 80,635 shares of company stock worth $13,236,175 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zelman & Associates assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. Wedbush dropped their target price 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. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on 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, Baird R W upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $177.06.

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.