Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. Grows Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,492 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 746 shares during the period. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gleason Group Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% in the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 8,969 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,848,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% in the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.6% in the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 617 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 12.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of WSM stock traded up $2.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $144.03. 1,005,851 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,922,387. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $142.39 and a 200 day moving average of $146.26. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.56 and a 52-week high of $174.26. The company has a market cap of $18.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.83.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.