Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 95.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 22,800 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 97.2% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,882 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after buying an additional 3,886 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 101.1% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 42,955 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,655,000 after purchasing an additional 21,595 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 212.4% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 313,335 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $48,542,000 after purchasing an additional 213,035 shares during the period. Centennial Bank AR grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Centennial Bank AR now owns 2,510 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares during the period. Finally, HS Management Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 121.0% during the 3rd quarter. HS Management Partners LLC now owns 401,105 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $62,139,000 after purchasing an additional 219,591 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $129.47 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.92 and a 52-week high of $174.26. The company has a market capitalization of $16.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $141.54 and a 200 day moving average of $145.06.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.83.

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.