New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 4,289 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,295 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,289 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma worth $14,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $213.75 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $192.96 and its 200 day moving average is $193.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $219.54.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.00.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams?Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi?brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher?end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.