Bailard Inc. Acquires 66 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Bailard Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,091 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Westmount Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the company’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 value of $273,602.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of WSM stock opened at $187.33 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $201.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $168.71. The stock has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $117.13 and a 12 month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

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.