Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Given New $186.00 Price Target at Barclays

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Barclays from $180.00 to $186.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 3.20% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE WSM traded down $2.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $180.23. 370,844 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,125,687. The firm has a market cap of $21.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.47, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.64. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.95. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 55,767 shares of company stock worth $11,076,808 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,205,000 after purchasing an additional 4,510 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,852,000 after buying an additional 4,961 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $194,947,000 after buying an additional 231,489 shares during the last quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 39.5% in the third quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 282,503 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $55,215,000 after acquiring an additional 80,044 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and healthy margins — WSM reported $3.04 GAAP EPS vs. ~ $2.90 consensus and emphasized industry?leading profitability and operating leverage, which supports upside in the stock. Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised 15% — Board approved a quarterly dividend increase to $0.76 (ex?div Apr 17), signaling confidence in cash flow and supporting income?oriented investors. Dividend Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and raised targets — RBC Capital raised its target (and other shops like Royal Bank of Canada raised theirs); TD Cowen reiterated/maintained a Buy, reinforcing upside case. RBC / TD Cowen
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance is constructive but execution?dependent — Management guided to mid?single?digit revenue and comp growth for FY26 and a margin target near ~17.8%, which reassures but requires execution vs. a tough consumer backdrop. WSJ: Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary highlights share gains and strategic initiatives — Coverage notes market?share gains, continued digital/B2B expansion and buyback capacity, which are longer?term positives but not immediate catalysts. Deep Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and YoY sales decline — Q4 revenue of $2.36B missed consensus (~$2.41B) and was down ~4% YoY, a top?line drag that tempers the EPS beat. Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Tariffs and margin pressure remain a risk — Analysts and company commentary point to tariff costs and some gross/operating margin compression that could weigh on future profit growth if costs persist. Tariff/Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares (~$3.66M) in mid?March; while not unusually large for an executive, insider sales can create short?term investor caution. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst price?target trims — A few shops trimmed targets after digging into comps and calendar/comp distortions, introducing near?term downside risk despite a constructive consensus. Analyst Revisions

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.