Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $200.64 and last traded at $200.54, with a volume of 317515 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $198.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.03.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.79. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $176.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.58.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given 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 1.14%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,360,384,000 after acquiring an additional 3,695,837 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $825,588,000 after purchasing an additional 2,777,339 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% in the 3rd 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 period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $326,931,000 after buying an additional 1,145,410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 324.4% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,036,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $160,537,000 after buying an additional 792,068 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.

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