Hennessy Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westmount Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $194.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Wedbush raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.03.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % 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.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8 %

WSM opened at $202.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $179.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.34. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.76 and a 12-month high of $204.68. The firm has a market cap of $24.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.97%.

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.