Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Key Points

• Evercore ISI has raised its target price for Williams-Sonoma stock from $200.00 to $210.00, indicating a potential upside of 9.03% from the company's last closing price.
• Williams-Sonoma reported earnings of $2.00 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.79 and achieving a revenue of $1.84 billion.
• Currently, 99.29% of Williams-Sonoma’s stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, showcasing significant confidence in the company among major stakeholders.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Evercore ISI from $200.00 to $210.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "in-line" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. Evercore ISI's price objective points to a potential upside of 9.03% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on WSM. UBS Group raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $160.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $192.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM opened at $192.61 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $182.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.66. The company has a market cap of $23.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 52.79% and a net margin of 14.35%.Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total value of $5,045,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 966,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $162,617,782.86. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total value of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,810,196.48. This represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 38,000 shares of company stock worth $6,349,680. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,630,310 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,471,152,000 after buying an additional 2,797,562 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $978,864,000 after acquiring an additional 127,597 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,902,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $352,283,000 after buying an additional 249,389 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $283,686,000 after purchasing an additional 401,138 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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