Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $245.56.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $247.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Wednesday, August 26th.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $241.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $234.34 and its 200 day moving average is $214.70. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89. The firm has a market cap of $28.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.48.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released 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. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 853,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $188,799,508.80. This trade represents a 3.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 11.1% in the 1st quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 11,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is an omnichannel specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related lifestyle products. The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.