Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,601,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 105,280 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.30% of Williams-Sonoma worth $296,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $290,121,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 19,941.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 495,619 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $91,779,000 after buying an additional 493,146 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $87,148,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 84.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020,489 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $158,085,000 after buying an additional 467,407 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 64.1% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 989,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $183,273,000 after acquiring an additional 386,500 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $139.04 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The company’s fifty day moving average is $172.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.39.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.44 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. 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 1.90%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.30%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 120,720 shares of company stock worth $21,828,609 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WSM shares. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Baird R W raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, 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 research note on Thursday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.93.

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.