Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $13.21 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 83,553 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 9,533 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.07% of Williams-Sonoma worth $13,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total transaction of $5,045,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 966,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $162,617,782.86. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,906,700 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE WSM traded up $1.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $181.80. 818,197 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,202,717. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $165.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.33 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $22.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.45.

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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.48 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Zelman & Associates started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $178.41.

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.