Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 74,020 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 74,020 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $13,707,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $290,121,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 19,941.2% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 495,619 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $91,779,000 after purchasing an additional 493,146 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $87,148,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 989,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $183,273,000 after purchasing an additional 386,500 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% during 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. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM traded up $3.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.65. 1,369,140 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,019,369. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.84 and a 200 day moving average of $178.09.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.48 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th were issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,690,666.52. This trade represents a 43.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 996,927 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 109,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,892,473. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Zelman & Associates began coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.06.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.