Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Reduced by Mcrae Capital Management Inc.

Mcrae Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 157,416 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,020 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for about 5.7% of Mcrae Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.13% of Williams-Sonoma worth $29,150,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WSM. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief financial officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % 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.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of WSM stock traded up $2.96 on Tuesday, reaching $217.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,396,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,249,181. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.74 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $199.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.45. The company has a market capitalization of $26.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.05%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

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.