Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) PT Lowered to $140.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price objective reduced by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $150.00 to $140.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price points to a potential upside of 0.35% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $137.50 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. Wedbush lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $350.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.90.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $139.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $146.15 and its 200 day moving average is $142.07. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $69.02 and a fifty-two week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 52.83%. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Monica Bhargava sold 17,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.14, for a total transaction of $2,663,938.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $152,843,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 536.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,700 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $108,345,000 after acquiring an additional 323,400 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 28.6% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 964,910 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $272,462,000 after acquiring an additional 214,669 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $58,213,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.5% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 704,919 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $223,833,000 after acquiring an additional 192,432 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.