Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Decreases Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,590 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,754 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,591,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. HM Payson & Co. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock traded up $3.35 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $207.22. 1,071,554 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,248,316. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.74 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $25.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $197.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.06.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.