Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.13 EPS

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13, FiscalAI reports. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $181.39 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $147.39 and a one year high of $222.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $183.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.70. The stock has a market cap of $21.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 940 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Consolidated Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $223,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $185.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.38.

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.