Clearbridge Investments LLC Reduces Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 52.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 101,067 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 110,908 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $18,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.93.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. This trade represents a 43.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.2 %

Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $3.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $141.94. 6,801,017 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,019,695. The firm has a market cap of $17.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.77. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.44 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.30%.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.