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

Key Points

• Williams-Sonoma is currently rated "Moderate Buy" by 17 analysts, with an average price target of about $209.06 over the next 12 months.
• The company beat fiscal Q1 expectations, posting $1.93 EPS versus the $1.80 estimate and revenue of $1.81 billion, while revenue rose 4.4% year over year.
• Williams-Sonoma also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.76 per share from $0.66, and insiders have recently sold shares, including CFO Jeffrey Howie and EVP Karalyn Yearout.

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $209.0625.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock valued at $19,720,823 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,964,000 after buying an additional 87,642 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $174,473,000 after acquiring an additional 89,779 shares in the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth $4,605,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,612,000 after acquiring an additional 56,578 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $205.03 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $188.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.47. The firm has a market cap of $24.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.51. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $152.20 and a 1 year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

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.

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