Hyperion Capital Advisors LP Raises Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Hyperion Capital Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 100.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,020 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the quarter. Hyperion Capital Advisors LP’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third 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. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WSM. 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 report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $171.37 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 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 Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. The trade was a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.