563 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Acquired by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $109,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $253,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 82.7% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 601 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $3,152,000. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $3,189,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,433,123.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 1,145 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.06, for a total value of $330,973.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,013,591.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $282.16 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $18.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $275.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.52. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $109.44 and a one year high of $319.78.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 31.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on WSM shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.06.

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.