Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D reduced its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,265 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 800 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 463,799 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $85,886,000 after buying an additional 5,771 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 47,467 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,831,000 after buying an additional 4,512 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 69,041 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $12,785,000 after buying an additional 2,416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 155.9% during the 4th quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 10,029 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,857,000 after buying an additional 6,110 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.34.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $217.56 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $108.74 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $26.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $199.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.45.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

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.