GS Investments Inc. Sells 2,898 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

GS Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 29.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,956 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,898 shares during the period. GS Investments Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of WSM opened at $166.20 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $198.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $171.88. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $20.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.44 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $190.00 price target (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.53.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.