Gotham Asset Management LLC Purchases 55,229 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 56.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,070 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 55,229 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 0.3% of Gotham Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Williams-Sonoma worth $28,346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 137.4% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $679,000 after acquiring an additional 2,536 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 84.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020,489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $158,085,000 after purchasing an additional 467,407 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,024 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,819,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westmount Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total transaction of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,018,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. This represents a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,572,715.72. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 80,635 shares of company stock valued at $13,236,175 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded shares of 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $175.94.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.4 %

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $160.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $157.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.33 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.44 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.30%.

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.

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