Laura Alber Sells 20,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, April 17th, Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00.
• On Monday, March 16th, Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $171.81 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $184.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.83. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $147.39 and a one year high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $213.00 to $191.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after buying an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $485,833,000 after buying an additional 224,128 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $342,797,000 after buying an additional 130,940 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $316,920,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.