Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock: Insider Karalyn Yearout Sells 522 Shares

Key Points

• Insider sale: EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 Williams-Sonoma shares for approximately $124,946 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing her holdings by 2.58% to 19,673 shares.
• Business performance: Williams-Sonoma’s latest quarterly earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations, with revenue up 6.7% year over year and a 14.73% net margin.
• Shareholder outlook: The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $245.56; institutional investors own 99.29% of the stock.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at $4,708,929.28. This trade represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, August 7th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded up $0.78 on Tuesday, hitting $239.64. 1,108,410 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,149,918. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.48. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $254.89. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $234.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $215.33.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,376,872,000 after buying an additional 112,683 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $485,833,000 after buying an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $269,640,000 after buying an additional 20,886 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is an omnichannel specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related lifestyle products. The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.