Romano Brothers AND Company Reduces Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Romano Brothers AND Company lowered its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $5,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:WSM opened at $202.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $179.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.45. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.76 and a 12 month high of $204.68.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on 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 owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.03.

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.