Wedbush Increases Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target to $175.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price hoisted by Wedbush from $135.00 to $175.00 in a research note published on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

WSM has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of WSM opened at $171.98 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $143.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.82. The firm has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $90.31 and a 1-year high of $181.42.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The trade was a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were 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 owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126 in the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 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.