Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Rating Increased to Neutral at Zelman & Associates

Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Zelman & Associates currently has $205.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on 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 report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:WSM opened at $205.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.56 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $191.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.10.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $254,778,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $167,927,000 after purchasing an additional 558,311 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 740.4% during the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 591,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $96,664,000 after buying an additional 521,283 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.