Foster & Motley Inc. Sells 2,853 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Foster & Motley Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 26.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,881 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,853 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the third quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,205,000 after acquiring an additional 4,510 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,961 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $194,947,000 after purchasing an additional 231,489 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,215,000 after purchasing an additional 80,044 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $174,473,000 after purchasing an additional 89,779 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $182.28 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $199.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.84. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.69 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.28 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total value of $5,904,037.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,166,688.32. The trade was a 48.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 88,451 shares of company stock worth $16,980,845 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WSM. UBS Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. TD Cowen dropped their target price 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma 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.