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

Jeppson Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,943 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 186.0% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,536 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 4,901 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 97.1% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $955,000 after buying an additional 3,038 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 94.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,026,000 after buying an additional 9,509 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 27.2% in the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 38,512 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,966,000 after acquiring an additional 8,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 67.4% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,959 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,641,000 after acquiring an additional 12,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $211.72 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.76 and a 52 week high of $214.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $187.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.94. The company has a market cap of $26.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.04, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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 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 1.08%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 $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 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wedbush increased their price objective 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 lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.16.

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.