Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Raised to $195.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target hoisted by TD Cowen from $165.00 to $195.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WSM. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wedbush lowered Williams-Sonoma from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $171.98 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $90.31 and a 1 year high of $181.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $143.63 and its 200 day moving average is $144.87. The company has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.97%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.