Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Short Interest Down 13.6% in December

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,350,000 shares, a drop of 13.6% from the December 15th total of 11,980,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.1 days.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $199.22 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $177.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.89. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $95.76 and a fifty-two week high of $200.85. The company has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,516 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,021,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 57.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 841 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $156,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $418,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 1,838 shares during the period. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $244,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. 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. Wedbush upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.03.

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.