Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Increased by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 207.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,529 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,404 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020,489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $158,085,000 after purchasing an additional 467,407 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 659.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 531,304 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $82,309,000 after buying an additional 461,361 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 536.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $108,345,000 after acquiring an additional 323,400 shares during the period. HS Management Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 121.0% during the third quarter. HS Management Partners LLC now owns 401,105 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $62,139,000 after acquiring an additional 219,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 28.6% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 964,910 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $272,462,000 after acquiring an additional 214,669 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1 %

Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $130.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,885,321 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857,123. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $80.49 and a twelve month high of $174.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $141.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $139.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.