Nordea Investment Management AB Buys 172,409 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 48.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 527,740 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 172,409 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $97,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 99.2% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 9,374 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after purchasing an additional 4,667 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 9,501 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.4% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 141,694 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $40,010,000 after purchasing an additional 12,208 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 16.3% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,797 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $58,213,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company’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 transaction of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $200.06 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $166.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.94. The firm has a market cap of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $95.76 and a one year high of $200.56.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 26.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WSM. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.03.

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.