Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $209.5625.

Several research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.8%

WSM opened at $198.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma has a 12 month low of $134.44 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $193.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.95.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 56,370 shares of company stock valued at $10,268,623 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth 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 period. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.