Entropy Technologies LP Purchases New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $883,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Quent Capital LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 144.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,370 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $216,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 28.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 7,281 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,312,000 after acquiring an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 39.6% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,250,000 after acquiring an additional 3,798 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.3 %

WSM opened at $129.54 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $141.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.79. The company has a market capitalization of $16.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.19 and a 52 week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 27.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen raised 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. Wedbush lowered shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.47.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’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 value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.