Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Citigroup from $188.00 to $208.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Citigroup’s price target indicates a potential upside of 11.06% from the stock’s previous close.

WSM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zelman & Associates raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore set a $215.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.22.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock traded down $6.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $187.28. 314,006 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,016,881. The business’s fifty day moving average is $204.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.84. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.64.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Atria Investments Inc purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.9% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,057 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.