Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Raised to $260.00 at Royal Bank Of Canada

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $192.00 to $260.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.98% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $240.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WSM traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $243.04. The stock had a trading volume of 69,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,138,588. The business’s 50 day moving average is $228.98 and its 200-day moving average is $206.34. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89. The company has a market cap of $28.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after buying an additional 224,128 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $342,797,000 after buying an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.