Sanctuary Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 97.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,789 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 21,066 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM traded up $4.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $195.63. 2,395,097 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,366,802. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.76 and a 52-week high of $198.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81. The company's 50 day moving average price is $153.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 26.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,160 shares of company stock valued at $11,590,952. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WSM. Jefferies Financial Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective 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. Loop Capital upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $154.41.

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.