UMB Bank n.a. Purchases 308 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 57.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 841 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WSM. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $418,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $244,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 2,837 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $525,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $533,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $211.79 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.76 and a 1-year high of $212.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.79. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $184.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.87.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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 owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. 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. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.16.

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.