Candriam S.C.A. Sells 33,172 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 38.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,445 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 33,172 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd 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 bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of several research reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $173.28.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $188.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $201.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $169.59. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $117.13 and a one year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.98%.

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.