Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 8.0%, holding 197,467 shares worth approximately $31.22 million after selling 17,285 shares.
• Williams-Sonoma reported a quarterly EPS of $1.85, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.76, and had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, a 4.2% increase year-over-year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 29.90%.

Raymond James Financial Inc. decreased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,467 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 17,285 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.16% of Williams-Sonoma worth $31,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $1,424,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at $895,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 26.4% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 44,398 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,019,000 after buying an additional 9,266 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,402 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,751,000 after buying an additional 1,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 128.0% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 217,644 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $34,410,000 after buying an additional 122,180 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $203.3670 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $180.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.67.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 996,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $163,825,013.91. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,279,580. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $160.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Barclays set a $166.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $185.59.

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.

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