Williams-Sonoma’s (WSM) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $165.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on WSM. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wedbush cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $150.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $140.83.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:WSM opened at $144.35 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.64. Williams-Sonoma has a 12 month low of $71.56 and a 12 month high of $174.26. The company has a market capitalization of $18.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.73, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $13,563,526 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $113,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 215,299 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,443,000 after purchasing an additional 33,157 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 47,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after acquiring an additional 10,303 shares during the period. Finally, Leo Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $219,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.