Bell Investment Advisors Inc Boosts Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 105.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Bell Investment Advisors Inc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $50,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM traded down $1.67 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $172.33. 154,996 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,969,721. The company has a fifty day moving average of $144.82 and a 200 day moving average of $145.01. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $90.87 and a twelve month high of $181.42. The company has a market capitalization of $21.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

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.