Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Purchases 10,278 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 89.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,707 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 10,278 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 50.3% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,270 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 163.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 556 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 32.3% in the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,089 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,284,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $4,867,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 18.3% in the second quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,174 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $614,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM traded up $4.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $195.63. The stock had a trading volume of 2,395,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,366,802. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $153.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.76 and a 1-year high of $198.70.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, 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 value of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 value of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 83,160 shares of company stock valued at $11,590,952 over the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 note on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $154.41.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.