3,845 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Purchased by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,845 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $923,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. L2 Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $389,000. Winmill & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $25,874,000. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $3,883,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $2,621,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $1,744,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $234.74 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $208.00. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on WSM. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $248.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.11.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams?Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi?brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher?end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.