Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. reduced its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 7.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 44,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,400 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,004,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $352,283,000 after purchasing an additional 249,389 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $290,121,000. 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. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 645,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $119,516,000 after acquiring an additional 24,741 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 19,941.2% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 495,619 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $91,779,000 after acquiring an additional 493,146 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wedbush cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $158.14 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.90%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,572,715.72. This represents a 1.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 996,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $163,825,013.91. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,227 shares of company stock worth $18,520,913 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% 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.