Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to Neutral

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $275.00 price objective on the specialty retailer's stock, up from their previous price objective of $245.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective suggests a potential downside of 9.72% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $154.00 to $263.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $261.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $256.19.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 4.2 %

WSM traded up $12.38 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $304.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,104,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,241. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $281.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.21. The stock has a market cap of $19.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.72. Williams-Sonoma has a twelve month low of $109.44 and a twelve month high of $319.78.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $5.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.06 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.22 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 55.15% and a net margin of 12.25%. Williams-Sonoma's revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Marta Benson sold 17,816 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.19, for a total transaction of $5,490,713.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 68,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,140,909.43. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.74, for a total value of $5,674,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 505,509 shares in the company, valued at $143,433,123.66. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marta Benson sold 17,816 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.19, for a total value of $5,490,713.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 68,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,140,909.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 41,145 shares of company stock valued at $12,182,219 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MCF Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 129.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 188 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 820.0% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 230 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.