Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Reduced by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 98.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,362 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,072,958 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 563,058 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $104,267,000 after buying an additional 31,754 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 203.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,996 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,677 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $483,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 4,948 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 13,782 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,552,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % 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 Williams-Sonoma 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 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. Insiders have sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352 over the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $217.31. 1,119,039 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,350,915. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.76 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.15. The stock has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79.

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 given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. Wedbush increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $172.34.

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.