Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $179.06.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Wedbush dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp raised Williams-Sonoma from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 3.1 %

NYSE WSM opened at $160.71 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $161.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.85 billion, a PE ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 51.56%. The company's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.44 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,014,116.16. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total value of $4,973,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,018,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. This trade represents a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 80,635 shares of company stock worth $13,236,175. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.

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