Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP decreased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,928 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,054 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 4,516 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $836,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $370,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 22,229 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,116,000 after buying an additional 1,948 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 4,200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $778,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 10,115 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,873,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

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Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.0 %

WSM stock traded down $1.72 on Friday, reaching $163.27. 31,888,938 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,915,851. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $197.13 and a 200-day moving average of $172.32. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $20.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.44 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $177.93.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma 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.