Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09, Zacks reports. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.48 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year.
Williams-Sonoma Price Performance
NYSE:WSM traded down $8.91 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $159.01. The stock had a trading volume of 3,855,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,059,338. The company has a market capitalization of $19.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $157.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.89.
Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 1.66%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.30%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $1,212,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,501,002.65. This trade represents a 32.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total transaction 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 have sold 80,635 shares of company stock valued at $13,236,175 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma
Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
WSM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $131.00 to $166.00 in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.81.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Williams-Sonoma
About Williams-Sonoma
(
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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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