Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 248,380 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 8,726 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $56,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Little House Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $801,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 313.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 49,821 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $11,613,000 after buying an additional 37,764 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 319.2% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 6,673 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 5,081 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 12.1% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 302,105 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $70,540,000 after acquiring an additional 32,644 shares during the period. Finally, Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $11,151,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Argus boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $259.00 price objective (down from $260.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total transaction of $200,199.16. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,371,124.56. This represents a 7.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total transaction of $124,945.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,708,929.28. The trade was a 2.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 39,883 shares of company stock worth $8,867,518. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 2.3%

WSM opened at $253.45 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $263.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.25. The firm has a market cap of $29.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. 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, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related products. The company operates a portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.