Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $9.91 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,690 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,945 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Williams-Sonoma worth $9,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wedbush cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $182.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Zelman & Associates assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $176.75.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $157.86. 1,150,053 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,994,365. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The company's 50 day moving average is $158.24 and its 200 day moving average is $176.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. 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 14.35% and a return on equity of 52.79%. The business's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.48 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at $168,826,041.72. This trade represents a 2.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,572,715.72. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 113,227 shares of company stock valued at $18,520,913 in the last three months. 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.