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

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $211.4706.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total transaction of $106,002.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,829 shares in the company, valued at $4,635,885.03. This represents a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 106,892 shares of company stock worth $19,826,826 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $223.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $152.20 and a one year high of $224.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $191.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.71.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.56%.

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.