Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $247.48 and last traded at $247.9470, with a volume of 46366 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $239.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.82.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $29.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $223.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $204.73.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.