Forsta AP Fonden Sells 12,600 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Forsta AP Fonden lessened its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 51,900 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 12,600 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the 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 owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, 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 sold 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Loop Capital upped their price objective 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, 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 research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two 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.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.3 %

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $217.31 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $191.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $159.15. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.76 and a 52 week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

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.