Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Director Anne Finucane Sells 794 Shares of Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Director Anne Finucane sold 794 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total value of $200,199.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,371,124.56. The trade was a 7.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WSM traded down $2.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $249.88. 1,808,408 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,173,836. The stock has a market cap of $29.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $234.08 and a 200 day moving average of $216.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $255.33.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is an omnichannel specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related lifestyle products. The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.