Clearbridge Investments LLC Trims Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 52.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,067 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 110,908 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $18,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 83.6% during the third quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 21,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,325,000 after buying an additional 9,771 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $369,000. Ascent Group LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 2,441 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 639.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 115,512 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,893,000 after purchasing an additional 99,883 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.3% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 31,890 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,940,000 after purchasing an additional 16,795 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.9 %

Shares of WSM opened at $164.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.01. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.44 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value 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 approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. This trade represents a 43.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wedbush cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.60.

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.