Karalyn Yearout Sells 522 Shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Karalyn Yearout also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, August 4th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88.
• On Monday, June 8th, Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total transaction of $106,002.54.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.1%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $250.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $29.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $227.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $205.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. Research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.29.

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.