Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 6,205 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,020 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 6,205 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,078,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $164.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,978,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,036,926. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $176.89. The company has a market capitalization of $20.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

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 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.48 EPS. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $7,690,666.52. This trade represents a 43.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,505 shares in the company, valued at $2,501,002.65. The trade was a 32.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 79,227 shares of company stock valued at $12,962,573 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wedbush dropped their target price 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. Finally, Zelman & Associates began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.