Retirement Systems of Alabama Cuts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,025 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,620 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned about 0.17% of Williams-Sonoma worth $37,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,360,384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,695,837 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $825,588,000 after buying an additional 2,777,339 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $418,223,000 after buying an additional 1,393,436 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,145,410 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 104.8% during the 3rd 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 acquiring an additional 565,745 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM traded down $3.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $207.26. 1,108,988 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,216,403. The company's 50 day moving average is $196.39 and its 200 day moving average is $161.93. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $103.50 and a one year high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WSM. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $172.34.

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.