Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $249.17.

WSM has been the subject of several recent research reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Argus upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Evercore set a $255.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $259.00 price objective (down from $260.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, October 29th.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:WSM opened at $261.29 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $239.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.50. The stock has a market cap of $30.77 billion, a PE ratio of 26.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $274.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.12%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 853,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $188,799,508.80. The trade was a 3.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total transaction of $200,199.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,124.56. The trade was a 7.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 39,361 shares of company stock valued at $8,738,903 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 58.4% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,757 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 3,228 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 27.8% during the third quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 5.2% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 945 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Composition Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $273,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 486.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 110,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,523,000 after buying an additional 92,049 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, kitchenware and related products. Its portfolio includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham, with offerings ranging from cookware and furniture to lighting, textiles, décor and gifts. Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams as a cookware shop in Sonoma, California, the company has grown into a multichannel retailer. It sells through its websites and retail stores, serving customers in North America and select international markets.