Brokerages Set Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) PT at $198.71

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $198.7059.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WSM. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $199.10 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $185.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.45. The firm has a market cap of $23.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 12,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.07, for a total transaction of $2,201,992.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 846,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,353,071.89. The trade was a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.