Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,446 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 16,791 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma makes up approximately 3.3% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,312 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 168.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 2,226 shares during the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 8,757 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,473,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,547 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,543,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 2,936 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $829,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush lifted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.41.
Read Our Latest Analysis on WSM
Williams-Sonoma Price Performance
Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $5.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $188.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,561,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,417,374. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $149.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.35. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $94.63 and a one year high of $190.08. The stock has a market cap of $23.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.81.
Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 26.97%.
Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma
In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,160 shares of company stock worth $11,590,952. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.
Williams-Sonoma Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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