Pensionfund Sabic Acquires New Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Pensionfund Sabic bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,574,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,360,384,000 after acquiring an additional 3,695,837 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $825,588,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777,339 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $418,223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,436 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 324.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,036,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $160,537,000 after buying an additional 792,068 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, 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 note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.03.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 3.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded up $7.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $200.06. 1,678,193 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,347,681. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.76 and a 1-year high of $200.56. The company has a market capitalization of $24.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The business's 50 day moving average is $166.44 and its 200-day moving average is $151.94.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

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.