Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (WSM) To Go Ex-Dividend on October 16th

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share by the specialty retailer on Friday, November 20th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th.

Williams-Sonoma has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.2% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 20 years. Williams-Sonoma has a payout ratio of 33.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Williams-Sonoma to earn $10.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.0%.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $239.64 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $215.73. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89. The firm has a market cap of $28.23 billion, a PE ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.48.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.56.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is an omnichannel specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related lifestyle products. The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, cutlery, appliances, tabletop goods, furniture, bedding, bath products, lighting, rugs, textiles, decorative accessories, gifts and personalized items.