Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,308 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,475 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $21,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $158.05 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.97.

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

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total transaction of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. The trade was a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $140.00 to $165.00 in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.93.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.