Westmount Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Westmount Partners LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the quarter. Westmount Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.7 %

WSM stock traded down $1.30 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $195.67. The company had a trading volume of 485,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,043. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.76 and a 52 week high of $200.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $172.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.55. The stock has a market cap of $24.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.03.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.