Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,229 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,948 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in 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. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:WSM traded down $1.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $169.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,902,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,917,607. The company has a market capitalization of $20.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $196.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.17.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 29.30%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,014,116.16. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.93.

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.