IFM Investors Pty Ltd Acquires 12,604 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 105.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,595 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 12,604 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 103.0% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 406 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 101.7% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 3,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.1% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 3,591 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,796 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 162.7% during the third quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,250 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,292,000 after buying an additional 13,161 shares during the period. Finally, Romano Brothers AND Company grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 99.4% during the third quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 33,260 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,153,000 after buying an additional 16,580 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $134.76 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $142.20 and a 200-day moving average of $145.69. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.56 and a 52-week high of $174.26.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.83.

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.