Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Lowers Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 42,831 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,602 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Sittner & Nelson LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.28.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $187.50 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $201.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $169.16. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $117.13 and a 12 month high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.08 billion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.