Meritage Portfolio Management grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 97.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 105,931 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 52,388 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for about 1.0% of Meritage Portfolio Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Meritage Portfolio Management owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $16,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 84.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020,489 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $158,085,000 after buying an additional 467,407 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 536.3% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $108,345,000 after purchasing an additional 323,400 shares during the period. HS Management Partners LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 121.0% during the 3rd quarter. HS Management Partners LLC now owns 401,105 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $62,139,000 after purchasing an additional 219,591 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 28.6% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 964,910 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $272,462,000 after purchasing an additional 214,669 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 212.4% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 313,335 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $48,542,000 after buying an additional 213,035 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird cut their price target 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, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $139.47.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Williams-Sonoma

WSM stock traded down $4.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $129.80. The stock had a trading volume of 1,665,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,696,114. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.92. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.92 and a 52-week high of $174.26. The stock has a market cap of $16.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 15,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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