Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Sold by Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lowered its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 39.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 776 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 496 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,112 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $214,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $2,421,000. Kerusso Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $1,660,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 239.1% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,560 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.28.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $188.83 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $23.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $117.13 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $201.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 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.