B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management Grows Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 96.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,552 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 20,930 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma comprises about 1.2% of B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 180.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 533 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.2% during the 3rd quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 99.8% in the third quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 2,546 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 86.5% during the third quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 11,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 5,369 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 19th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $141.17.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $13,563,526. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock traded down $3.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,486,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,943,435. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.56 and a 12 month high of $174.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $141.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.75. The firm has a market cap of $18.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) 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. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.01%.

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.