Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 136.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,801 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,654 shares during the period. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $171.98 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $143.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.87. The company has a market capitalization of $21.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.31 and a 1 year high of $181.42.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. TD Cowen raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.