Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 98.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 833,355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 413,226 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $129,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 118.7% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,110,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $326,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145,410 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 84.5% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020,489 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $158,085,000 after buying an additional 467,407 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 659.6% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 531,304 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $82,309,000 after buying an additional 461,361 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 536.3% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $108,345,000 after acquiring an additional 323,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HS Management Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 121.0% during the third quarter. HS Management Partners LLC now owns 401,105 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,139,000 after acquiring an additional 219,591 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays increased their target price 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of WSM opened at $177.85 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.87 and a 12-month high of $181.42. The company has a market cap of $22.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $144.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.90.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were paid a $0.57 dividend. 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 1.28%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.