Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Lessened by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management lessened its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,390 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma makes up 1.1% of Meritage Portfolio Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Meritage Portfolio Management owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $16,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $290,121,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $87,148,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 989,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $183,273,000 after buying an additional 386,500 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 16,087.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 264,343 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $41,793,000 after buying an additional 262,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake 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 worth $352,283,000 after buying an additional 249,389 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $173.06. 746,331 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,979,451. The business's 50 day moving average price is $162.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.24. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 52.79% and a net margin of 14.35%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.48 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 996,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $163,825,013.91. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 value of $1,212,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,501,002.65. This trade represents a 32.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,915 shares of company stock worth $8,203,186. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. KeyCorp upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Zelman & Associates began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.75.

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.