MRP Capital Investments LLC Sells 9,532 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

MRP Capital Investments LLC lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 60.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,329 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,532 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises 1.4% of MRP Capital Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. MRP Capital Investments LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 863.6% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 212 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 820.0% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Marta Benson sold 2,184 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.98, for a total transaction of $685,732.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 48,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,185,328.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total value of $330,973.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,966 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,013,591.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Marta Benson sold 2,184 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.98, for a total value of $685,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,185,328.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,145 shares of company stock valued at $16,220,619 over the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the company from $154.00 to $263.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. 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, Barclays upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $146.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $249.31.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.9 %

Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $5.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $288.85. The stock had a trading volume of 778,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,040,481. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.44 and a 12 month high of $319.78.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.06 by $0.38. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 55.15% and a net margin of 12.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.50 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.71%.

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.

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