Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 39,686 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 509 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises approximately 1.6% of SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during 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 during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during 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 last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd 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 boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WSM. Barclays lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $203.82 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $197.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.78. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $108.19 and a one year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 2.91 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 issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.97%.

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.