Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Has $1.36 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 52.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,367 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,547 shares during the quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $1,322,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $258,000. Empirical Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $512,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Retireful LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,564,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were 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. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $202.73 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $179.29 and a 200-day moving average of $155.34. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.76 and a 12 month high of $204.68. The company has a market capitalization of $24.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

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.