Centennial Bank AR Buys 1,255 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Centennial Bank AR increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,510 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,255 shares during the quarter. Centennial Bank AR’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Novare Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 68.7% during the 3rd quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 10,145 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,572,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 105.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 173,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,897,000 after buying an additional 88,936 shares during the period. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 86.5% in the third quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 11,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 5,369 shares in the last quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 10,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 5,100 shares during the period. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 95.1% during the third quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 44,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,950,000 after acquiring an additional 21,870 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at $149,766,978.12. This trade represents 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 at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was 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.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $132.20 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.64 and its 200 day moving average is $145.24. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $71.92 and a fifty-two week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective 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. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.