AXQ Capital LP Sells 3,428 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

AXQ Capital LP trimmed its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 71.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,428 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $256,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $163.27 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $197.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.60. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $165.00 in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $177.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.