Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Lowered to $225.00 at Robert W. Baird

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price decreased by Robert W. Baird from $235.00 to $225.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

WSM has been the subject of several other reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore set a $215.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.31.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $182.17 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $204.03 and its 200 day moving average is $194.95.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,767 shares of company stock worth $11,076,808. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Groupe la Francaise raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Williams-Sonoma News

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 profit beat and operating strength — WSM reported GAAP EPS of $3.04, beating estimates, and showed industry‑leading margins and operating leverage that underpin profitability. Business Wire: Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised — the board increased the quarterly dividend ~15% to $0.76, signaling confidence in cash flow and returning capital to shareholders. Benzinga: Dividend Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support persists — several firms reiterated/raised ratings or kept Buy/Outperform stances (TD Cowen, RBC, Baird remain constructive), giving upside price‑target commentary despite some mix of revisions. TipRanks: Analyst Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Management outlook is upbeat but execution‑dependent — guidance calls for mid‑single‑digit comp growth and modest revenue expansion; investors will watch comps, margins and macro sensitivity. WSJ: Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and YoY sales decline — Q4 revenue of ~$2.36B missed consensus and was down ~4% y/y, which tempers the EPS beat and raises top‑line concerns. MarketBeat: Earnings Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Post‑earnings analyst trims and tariff/housing headwinds — some analysts trimmed targets and flagged tariffs and a soft housing backdrop as margin and demand risks. Benzinga: Analyst Revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Laura Alber sold ~20,000 shares (~$3.66M), which some investors interpret as a cautionary signal (though the sale is small relative to her holding). SEC Form 4

About Williams-Sonoma

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.