Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Acquired by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 150.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,390 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,237 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 50.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 2,270 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 163.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 556 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $581,000. Reik & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 96.6% in the second quarter. Reik & CO. LLC now owns 219,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $62,002,000 after buying an additional 107,910 shares during the period. Finally, Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $357,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $198.11 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $155.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $148.77. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.76 and a 52-week high of $199.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on WSM. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 corporate insiders.

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.