Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $231.8824.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $248.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, August 14th.

Insider Activity 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents 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 sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after purchasing an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $342,797,000 after purchasing an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $235.37 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $27.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $254.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $232.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $207.54.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

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.