First Bank & Trust Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

First Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,392 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $258,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $1,549,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 47.2% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 443 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $445,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 85.1% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 2,671 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 69.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,684 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,164,000 after purchasing an additional 4,796 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $209.19 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.74 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $200.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.34. The firm has a market cap of $25.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. The trade was a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on WSM. Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $172.34.

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.