Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $211.4706.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $228.30 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $198.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.88 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $161.76 and a 52-week high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 22.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,320 shares of company stock worth $10,516,069. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.