Journey Strategic Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Journey Strategic Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 1,285 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in 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 during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $204.54 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.57 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $192.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.99. The company has a market capitalization of $25.18 billion, a PE ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were 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 owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.