Saxon Interests Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Saxon Interests Inc. decreased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,282 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 264 shares during the period. Saxon Interests Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $423,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.03.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $201.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.87, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.76 and a 1 year high of $203.41. The company’s fifty day moving average is $177.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.89.

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 dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

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.