Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 74.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,026 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 49,235 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc owned approximately 0.09% of Williams-Sonoma worth $17,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of 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 grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $825,588,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777,339 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $326,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,410 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 324.4% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,036,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $160,537,000 after purchasing an additional 792,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 104.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,105,336 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $171,239,000 after purchasing an additional 565,745 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM traded down $3.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $186.75. 1,619,253 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,969,395. The company has a market capitalization of $22.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.81. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.63 and a 52-week high of $192.83. The firm's 50-day moving average is $150.04 and its 200-day moving average is $146.69.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 3.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,160 shares of company stock worth $11,590,952 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.