Laura Alber Sells 45,000 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Laura Alber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 15th, Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.0 %

WSM stock opened at $213.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.30, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.76 and a 1-year high of $214.42. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $185.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.25.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Citigroup dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.16.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Clean Yield Group bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.