Evercore ISI Cuts Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target to $200.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target lowered by Evercore ISI from $210.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

WSM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE:WSM opened at $187.51 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $197.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.04. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $22.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total value of $626,942.52. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,787,999.92. This trade represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total value of $695,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,783,656.37. This represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 114,153 shares of company stock valued at $22,901,008 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 21.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,630,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,471,152,000 after acquiring an additional 2,797,562 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $978,864,000 after purchasing an additional 127,597 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $283,686,000 after purchasing an additional 401,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 34.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,436,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $227,164,000 after purchasing an additional 365,718 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.