Jeffrey Howie Sells 4,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $628,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,031,138.68. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Jeffrey Howie also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, May 1st, Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.78, for a total transaction of $627,120.00.
• On Tuesday, April 22nd, Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction of $129,646.35.
• On Thursday, March 27th, Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total value of $6,020,166.48.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of WSM stock traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $157.79. 1,284,083 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,010,015. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $155.87 and a 200 day moving average of $178.13. The company has a market cap of $19.41 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.48 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. KeyCorp raised Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.06.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,679 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,567 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 13,341 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Journey Strategic Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $238,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.