Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,942 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 118 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. FMR LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 72.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,781,201 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,360,384,000 after acquiring an additional 3,695,837 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 108.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,329,125 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $825,588,000 after acquiring an additional 2,777,339 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 107.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689,451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $418,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,436 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $326,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145,410 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 324.4% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,036,256 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $160,537,000 after purchasing an additional 792,068 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,568 shares of company stock worth $10,183,355. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $194.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $115.79 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $201.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $168.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WSM shares. TD Cowen raised their price target 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. Loop Capital raised their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $173.28.

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.