Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Shares Gap Down - Should You Sell?

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $167.92, but opened at $156.50. Williams-Sonoma shares last traded at $152.10, with a volume of 1,516,763 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zelman & Associates initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on 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. UBS Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wedbush lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $131.00 to $166.00 in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $177.81.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $157.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.89. The company has a market capitalization of $19.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.10. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

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 given a $0.66 dividend. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.30%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were 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 $7,690,666.52. The trade was a 43.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. The trade was a 2.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 80,635 shares of company stock worth $13,236,175. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 105.9% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 15,366 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 7,904 shares during the last quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at $3,162,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 34.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,436,839 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $227,164,000 after acquiring an additional 365,718 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth about $299,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

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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