Williams-Sonoma (WSM) Set to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, August 22nd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.45 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.65. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 54.50%. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. On average, analysts expect Williams-Sonoma to post $7 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of WSM opened at $137.63 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $147.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.75. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $62.44 and a 12-month high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 19th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 27.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $350.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $137.50 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $138.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP David Randolph King sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.93, for a total transaction of $2,878,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 101,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,539,879.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total value of $6,258,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,070,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,551,066.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,862 shares of company stock valued at $11,800,439. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.