Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 227,764 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 19,479 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of Williams-Sonoma worth $42,177,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM traded down $10.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $147.35. 687,822 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,056,323. The firm's 50-day moving average is $181.56 and its 200-day moving average is $173.70. The company has a market capitalization of $18.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98.

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Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WSM. UBS Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $178.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,690,666.52. This trade represents a 43.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369. 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.