Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Hits New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $200.00 to $210.00. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the stock. Williams-Sonoma traded as high as $220.93 and last traded at $217.1850, with a volume of 286261 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $214.03.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.83.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the 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 transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,644,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 12.5% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.0%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $194.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $193.52. The company has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for 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%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

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.