Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,152 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,807 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 6.8 %

NYSE WSM traded down $14.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $195.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,702,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,432. The company has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.93 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $200.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.64.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % 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 the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.