HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 11,269 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,243 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 11,269 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Williams-Sonoma worth $19,304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $167.22 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $199.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $171.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WSM. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.78.

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.