Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 300,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $46,476,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during 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. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $171.37 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $145.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.20. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $90.87 and a one year high of $181.42. The firm has a market cap of $21.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on WSM. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were 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 directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.