Blue Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Blue Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 67.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,963 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 794 shares during the quarter. Blue Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $304,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. 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

WSM opened at $177.85 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $144.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $90.87 and a one year high of $181.42.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma 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.