Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,495 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma comprises approximately 1.9% of Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $10,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Berkshire Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 563,058 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $104,267,000 after buying an additional 31,754 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 203.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,996 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $740,000 after buying an additional 2,677 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $483,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 4,948 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $916,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $217.31 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $95.76 and a one year high of $219.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $191.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.15. The company has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $172.34.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.