Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Sells 1,238 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,761 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,238 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third 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 in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $216.70 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $190.40 and a 200-day moving average of $158.74. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.76 and a 12 month high of $217.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.63, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.