Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. Invests $38,000 in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $28,000. HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third 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 last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.34.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE WSM opened at $206.55 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $197.03 and its 200-day moving average is $162.42. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.19 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $25.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

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.