Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber Sells 40,000 Shares

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

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

• On Monday, September 16th, Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $175.04 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $141.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.63 and a 52-week high of $181.42.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.84.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.