Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Williams-Sonoma, Inc. a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with a target price averaging $199.11.
• The company reported $2.00 EPS for the most recent quarter, exceeding estimates of $1.79, and achieved a revenue of $1.84 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.66 will be paid on November 21st, equating to an annual yield of 1.4%.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $199.1111.

Several equities analysts have commented on WSM shares. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 4.5%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $192.27 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $196.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.52.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total value of $3,563,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,066,816. This represents a 15.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total value of $626,942.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,787,999.92. This trade represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 144,153 shares of company stock worth $27,946,408 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 114,278 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $18,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,755 shares during the period. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $190,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1,442.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 60,072 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $9,814,000 after purchasing an additional 56,178 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 445.5% in the second quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,997 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $816,000 after buying an additional 4,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $51,000. 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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