Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber Sells 35,000 Shares of Stock

by · The Cerbat Gem

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total transaction of $7,742,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 853,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $188,799,508.80. The trade was a 3.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded up $5.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $224.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,727,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,159,980. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $232.13 and its 200 day moving average is $209.74. The stock has a market cap of $26.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $247.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.56.

Get Our Latest Analysis on WSM

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.0% during the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 67,858 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,818,000 after acquiring an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 45.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 33,553 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,821,000 after acquiring an additional 10,467 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $259,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $247,000. Finally, Maven Securities LTD bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,003,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Williams-Sonoma

(Get Free Report)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on high-quality home furnishings, housewares and lifestyle products. The company sells furniture, bedding, bath goods, lighting, rugs, window treatments, home décor, kitchen equipment, cookware, tabletop products, outdoor furnishings and related accessories through e-commerce platforms, catalogs and retail stores.

The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Rejuvenation.

See Also