Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock Position Decreased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 2.1%, now owning 139,935 shares valued at approximately $22.1 million.
• The company's CEO, Laura Alber, sold 30,000 shares, reducing her ownership by 2.92%, while CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares, marking a 10.42% decrease in his holdings.
• Analyst ratings for Williams-Sonoma vary, with 10 hold ratings and a target price averaging $178.41, while one analyst rated the stock as a strong buy.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,935 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,950 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $22,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $187.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 548,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,962,831. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.45. The stock's fifty day moving average is $166.98 and its 200 day moving average is $173.65. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98.

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. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 52.79% and a net margin of 14.35%. The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.48 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Barclays set a $166.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, KeyCorp raised Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $178.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total value of $5,045,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 966,927 shares in the company, valued at $162,617,782.86. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total value of $675,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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.