Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives $198.71 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $198.7059.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $206.51 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $186.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.97. The company has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total value of $2,201,992.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $153,353,071.89. The trade was a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 34.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,436,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $227,164,000 after purchasing an additional 365,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.