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

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

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $114.19 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $102.54 and a one year high of $176.89. The company has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.50, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.38.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 863.6% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 212 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.8% during 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. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 95.1% during 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. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 56.2% during 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. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $107,000. 99.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $127.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $151.00 to $143.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $126.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.