GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 106 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 106 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WSM. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $207.26 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $103.50 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $25.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $195.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.51.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.