Evercore ISI Issues Positive Forecast for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Evercore ISI from $200.00 to $210.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “in-line” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Evercore ISI’s target price points to a potential downside of 2.70% from the stock’s previous close.

WSM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.83.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:WSM traded up $1.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $215.82. 58,318 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,022,698. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $192.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.04. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $220.00. The company has a market cap of $25.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.