Rhumbline Advisers Raises Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 463,799 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,771 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.38% of Williams-Sonoma worth $85,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 47,467 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,831,000 after acquiring an additional 4,512 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 69,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,785,000 after acquiring an additional 2,416 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 155.9% in the 4th quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 10,029 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,857,000 after acquiring an additional 6,110 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 34,152 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,324,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807 shares during the period. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.8 %

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $214.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.45 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.74 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $198.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.90.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on WSM. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.34.

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.