Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Buys Shares of 1,285 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,285 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Westmount Partners LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 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. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during 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 period. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM traded up $7.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $214.88. 1,126,836 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,244,265. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.74 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $26.45 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $198.34 and its 200-day moving average is $163.37.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors 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 yield of 1.06%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 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.