Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives $178.41 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $178.4118.

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zelman & Associates assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $210.23 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $125.33 and a 52-week high of $219.98. The company has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $174.14 and a 200-day moving average of $173.43.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.35% and a return on equity of 52.79%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.48 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at $5,810,196.48. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.33, for a total transaction of $4,929,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 996,927 shares in the company, valued at $163,825,013.91. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,000 shares of company stock worth $11,279,580 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $32,000. 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.