Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Acquired by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 47.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,460 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,078 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of WSM stock traded down $2.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $162.45. 439,637 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,030,762. 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 cap of $19.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $156.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $177.13.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.78, for a total transaction of $627,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,645,590.64. The trade was a 8.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $1,212,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. The trade was a 32.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 79,227 shares of company stock worth $12,962,573. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. 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 report on Monday, April 7th. Wedbush cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays set a $166.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.