Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Makes New $537,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 2,900 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $537,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 6.8 %

WSM opened at $195.03 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $200.79 and a 200 day moving average of $165.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.93 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $24.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity 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 directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of 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, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $172.34.

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.