10,369 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Bought by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 10,369 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,920,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.53.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $166.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $20.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $198.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.88. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.44 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.