Paragon Capital Management Inc. Increases Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Paragon Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 101.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,942 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,497 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for 1.2% of Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% during the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 8,969 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,848,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 617 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE WSM opened at $150.90 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.56 and a 12 month high of $174.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $142.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.38. The stock has a market cap of $19.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 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 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 this link. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.83.

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.