Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $209.5625.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $183.59 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $203.15 and a 200-day moving average of $194.79.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The company’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.83%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This represents a 2.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 55,767 shares of company stock valued at $11,076,808 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Groupe la Francaise boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 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.