149,260 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Purchased by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 149,260 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $23,123,000. World Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Williams-Sonoma at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $154.41.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was 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 directly owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 83,160 shares of company stock worth $11,590,952. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $0.92 during trading on Thursday, reaching $191.49. 1,171,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,965,787. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.02 and a 1 year high of $192.83. The firm has a market cap of $23.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.81. The stock's fifty day moving average is $151.52 and its 200 day moving average is $147.30.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

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.