Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Upgraded by Zelman & Associates to “Neutral” Rating

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zelman & Associates from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $205.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Zelman & Associates’ price objective points to a potential downside of 0.34% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $205.70 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $190.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.01. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The firm has a market cap of $24.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after acquiring an additional 4,510 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 153.7% during the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 12,279 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,016,000 after purchasing an additional 7,439 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 54.9% during the second quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,961,000 after purchasing an additional 8,592 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,961 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,705.3% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 118,371 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,338,000 after buying an additional 111,814 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.