Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Cut to $160.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $165.00 to $160.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on WSM. Wedbush reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $201.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.06.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of WSM opened at $157.79 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $156.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.23. Williams-Sonoma has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $19.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.48 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.30%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total transaction of $1,212,240.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. This represents a 32.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,572,715.72. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 80,635 shares of company stock valued at $13,236,175 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.