Boston Trust Walden Corp Cuts Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Boston Trust Walden Corp trimmed its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 433,338 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,477 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.35% of Williams-Sonoma worth $80,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 91.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 5,654 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,596,000 after buying an additional 2,707 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 35.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,639 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.2% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,786 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,610,000 after acquiring an additional 741 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 125.9% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 93.9% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 696 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $210.91. 875,760 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,319,086. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.68 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $25.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $194.90 and its 200-day moving average is $161.16.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

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.