Martin Capital Advisors LLP Buys 116 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Martin Capital Advisors LLP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,856 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma makes up 2.0% of Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Martin Capital Advisors LLP’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,499,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $56,497,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $50,715,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,408,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $204,292,000 after buying an additional 273,424 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,782,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 505,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $143,433,123.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Marta Benson sold 17,816 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.19, for a total value of $5,490,713.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 68,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,140,909.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total transaction of $5,674,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,433,123.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM traded down $0.33 on Friday, reaching $279.20. 744,884 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,031,852. The stock has a market cap of $17.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.70. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.44 and a 12 month high of $319.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $212.37.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.06 by $0.38. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 12.25% and a return on equity of 55.15%. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 31.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $154.00 to $263.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $260.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.06.

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.