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

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price objective increased by TD Cowen from $165.00 to $195.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WSM. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of WSM opened at $172.95 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a 12 month low of $89.87 and a 12 month high of $181.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $143.08 and its 200-day moving average is $144.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The firm 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 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $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. Insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.4% during the first quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% in the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $500,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.