Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 200.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,800 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 186.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,536 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 4,901 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 97.1% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $955,000 after acquiring an additional 3,038 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 94.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,026,000 after acquiring an additional 9,509 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 27.2% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 67.4% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up previously from $175.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.78.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of WSM opened at $167.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $199.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.85. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.