Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 42.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,679 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,567 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,607,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,360,384,000 after buying an additional 3,695,837 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $825,588,000 after acquiring an additional 2,777,339 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $418,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,436 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $326,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,410 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 104.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,105,336 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $171,239,000 after purchasing an additional 565,745 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of WSM traded down $3.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $207.26. 1,108,988 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,310,699. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $103.50 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $25.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $195.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $161.51.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.