Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Royal Bank Of Canada Analyst Says

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $192.00 to $260.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target indicates a potential upside of 6.98% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%

WSM stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $243.04. The company had a trading volume of 69,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,588. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $228.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $206.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.