Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives $209.06 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $207.8125.

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 958,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $191,704,800. This represents a 1.54% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 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. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $168.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $184.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.21. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $147.39 and a one year high of $222.00. The stock has a market cap of $19.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.83%.

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.