Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Lessened by Valley National Advisers Inc.

Valley National Advisers Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,728 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 437 shares during the quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% during the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.1% in the first quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $419,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $134.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.69. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.56 and a twelve month high of $174.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.74.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 27.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WSM. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.83.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the 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 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 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.