Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Sells 873 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 873 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third 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 raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value 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 approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wedbush lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM opened at $209.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The business’s 50-day moving average is $194.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $99.80 and a 1 year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 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.