Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC Sells 2,356 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,523 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,356 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 186.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,536 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 4,901 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 97.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 3,038 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 94.8% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,535 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,026,000 after purchasing an additional 9,509 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,512 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,966,000 after buying an additional 8,237 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 67.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,959 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,641,000 after buying an additional 12,061 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $3.95 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $208.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 803,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,335,317. The company has a market capitalization of $25.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $193.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $160.38. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $97.57 and a one year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush boosted 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 increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.34.

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.