Level Four Advisory Services LLC Buys 1,900 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,367 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. State Street Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $825,588,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777,339 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $290,121,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $418,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,436 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 324.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,036,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $160,537,000 after acquiring an additional 792,068 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 104.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,105,336 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $171,239,000 after acquiring an additional 565,745 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. This represents a 43.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 112,720 shares of company stock worth $20,616,369 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of WSM stock traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $158.05. 1,455,870 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,983,836. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $193.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.44 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wedbush decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, March 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.93.

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.