Assetmark Inc. Lowers Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Assetmark Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 413,916 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,260 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $76,649,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Keybank National Association OH increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Ring Mountain Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $233,000. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 36,640 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,785,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,127 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 704 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $81,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $182.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $201.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.03. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $117.13 and a 1 year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.25%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % 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.

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.