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

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $245.5556.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total transaction of $671,757.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $7,531,184.18. The trade was a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $250,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,717 shares in the company, valued at $5,179,250. This trade represents a 4.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 39,567 shares of company stock valued at $8,792,373 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $227.50 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $232.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $210.09.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on high-quality home furnishings, housewares and lifestyle products. The company sells furniture, bedding, bath goods, lighting, rugs, window treatments, home décor, kitchen equipment, cookware, tabletop products, outdoor furnishings and related accessories through e-commerce platforms, catalogs and retail stores.

The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Rejuvenation.