Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 163.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 140,833 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 87,358 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $21,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 6.3% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,199 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $130.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,885,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,920,463. The company has a market cap of $16.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $80.49 and a 12-month high of $174.26. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $141.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.58.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wedbush downgraded Williams-Sonoma from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $139.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.