Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

by · The Markets Daily

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $141.17.

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $137.50 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on WSM

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $151.25 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $71.56 and a 52-week high of $174.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $141.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.08. The firm has a market cap of $19.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 27.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,766,978.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $13,563,526. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSM. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $33,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

(Get Free Report

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.

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