Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Position Trimmed by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 42.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,539 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,589 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $655,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $643,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE 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 50-day moving average of $196.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.00. The company has a market capitalization of $25.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” 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 company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma 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.