Franklin Resources Inc. Has $36.12 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 129.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 247,243 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 139,320 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.20% of Williams-Sonoma worth $36,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $28,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup decreased 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 report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.78.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $186.07 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $155.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.03. The firm has a market cap of $22.91 billion, a PE ratio of 22.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $95.76 and a one year high of $199.41.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 26.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

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.