Private Client Services LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Private Client Services LLC cut its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 48.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,892 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,753 shares during the period. Private Client Services LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $194.45. The stock had a trading volume of 784,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,300,300. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $152.59. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.76 and a twelve month high of $200.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.03.

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.