Karalyn Yearout Sells 1,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,179,250. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88.
• On Monday, June 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total value of $106,002.54.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.7%

Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $1.67 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $246.57. The stock had a trading volume of 950,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,156,530. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $252.99. The company has a market capitalization of $29.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $223.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.73.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $217.82.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.