Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Has $570,000 Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management trimmed its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,078 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 186 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $570,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $28,000. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.16.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM opened at $214.59 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.35. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.76 and a twelve month high of $215.00. The firm has a market cap of $26.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.98%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.