Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Short Interest Update

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,730,000 shares, a drop of 16.2% from the March 31st total of 8,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 5.6% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wedbush cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $175.94.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 2.6 %

WSM stock traded down $4.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $154.35. 1,335,273 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,052,664. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.74. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $19.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.30%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total transaction of $4,973,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at $168,826,041.72. This represents a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total value of $6,020,166.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. The trade was a 43.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 80,635 shares of company stock valued at $13,236,175. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.