Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.23 EPS

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The specialty retailer reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.23, Briefing.com reports. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 72.68% and a net margin of 12.07%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of WSM stock opened at $114.19 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $102.54 and a 12-month high of $176.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.79 and a 200-day moving average of $121.38.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 21st will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 20th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 23.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 863.6% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 212 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.8% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 277 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 56.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 710 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.49% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital cut their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $205.00 to $185.00 in a report on Friday, March 17th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $151.00 to $143.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $127.18.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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Williams-Sonoma, Inc engages in the retailing of home products. It operates through the following segments: Pottery Barn, West Elm, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen and Other. The Other segment includes net revenues from international franchise operations, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham.