Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Acquired by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 74,462 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 4,581 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma worth $13,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $151.24. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,391,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,059,697. The company has a market capitalization of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.33 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $165.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.91.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $179.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total value of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. The trade was a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,572,715.72. This trade represents a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,635 shares of company stock valued at $12,609,055 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.