2,385 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Purchased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $369,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,160 shares of company stock worth $11,590,952 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $190.16 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.63 and a 12 month high of $192.83. The company has a market cap of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $150.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.69.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

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.