Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock Position Raised by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 67.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,959 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,061 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $171.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.38. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $90.87 and a 52 week high of $181.42. The firm has a market cap of $21.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.