New York State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 150,436 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 8,500 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.12% of Williams-Sonoma worth $27,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Wedbush raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock traded down $4.10 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $213.61. 2,313,264 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,274,446. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.74 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $199.36 and a 200-day moving average of $164.45.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders 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 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.