Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 7,600 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 7,600 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma worth $13,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $643,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value 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 $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $195.03 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $110.93 and a one year high of $219.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

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.