Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Raised to Buy at The Goldman Sachs Group

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) was upgraded by investment analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday. The firm currently has a $218.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 15.22% from the company’s previous close.

WSM has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $206.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.50.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of WSM opened at $189.20 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $134.44 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $195.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.03.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,137 shares of company stock worth $17,684,631. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.