Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Has $1.31 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 43.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,075 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,130 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 396 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 4,091 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $158.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,071,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,983,838. The company's 50-day moving average is $193.04 and its 200-day moving average is $173.97. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $177.93.

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.