Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $211.4706.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $228.30 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $26.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.49. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $202.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.37. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $161.76 and a fifty-two week high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.17%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 55,320 shares of company stock worth $10,516,069 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.