Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price Down 0.9%

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 0.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $315.74 and last traded at $317.50. 101,115 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 970,329 shares. The stock had previously closed at $320.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $310.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $260.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $261.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $257.13.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.2 %

The company has a market cap of $20.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.72. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.06 by $0.38. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 55.15%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.02%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total value of $330,973.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,591.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total transaction of $5,674,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 505,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 129.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% 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.

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