Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC Makes New $222,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,059 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after buying an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 19,941.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 495,619 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $91,779,000 after acquiring an additional 493,146 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 47,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,833,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $372,000. Finally, Impact Investors Inc bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $1,652,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $194.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.79 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $201.46 and a 200-day moving average of $168.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 49,568 shares of company stock valued at $10,183,355 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.28.

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.