Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 149 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,499,000. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $56,497,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $50,715,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 24.1% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,408,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $204,292,000 after purchasing an additional 273,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,782,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $288.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.52 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $109.44 and a twelve month high of $319.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $208.81.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.06 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.22 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 55.15%. The company’s revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 24.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $260.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $249.31.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Marta Benson sold 2,184 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.98, for a total value of $685,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 48,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,185,328.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Marta Benson sold 2,184 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.98, for a total value of $685,732.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 48,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,185,328.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.92, for a total transaction of $4,038,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 525,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $106,110,777.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,145 shares of company stock worth $16,220,619 in the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma 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.