Gleason Group Inc. Has $2.32 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Gleason Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 30.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,516 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,570 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma accounts for 0.4% of Gleason Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Gleason Group Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded down $2.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $192.53. The company had a trading volume of 1,347,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,400,957. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $174.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.91. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.76 and a fifty-two week high of $200.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79.

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 paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $160.03.

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.