Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,464 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,861 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $18,396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 396 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $643,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 4,091 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,575 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of WSM traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $158.80. 1,603,702 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,982,200. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $19.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.97.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.44 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 29.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $177.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total transaction of $6,020,166.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 112,720 shares of company stock worth $20,616,369 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.