Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Makes New $893,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,820 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $893,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $296,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $39,768,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $2,555,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $496,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 3.5 %

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $188.83 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.13 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $201.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.00. The stock has a market cap of $23.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $173.28.

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.