Yousif Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 46,286 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,770 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,571,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 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 research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $172.34.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.8 %

Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $3.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $207.26. 1,108,988 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,216,403. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $196.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.93. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $103.50 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 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.