Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 252,289 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,443 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.20% of Williams-Sonoma worth $46,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 5,809 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $416,000. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 6,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $104,000. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wedbush boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $172.34.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.9 %

WSM opened at $209.12 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.19 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $25.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $196.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $162.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. 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.