Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyWilliams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $190.00 to $240.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Williams-Sonoma traded as high as $254.82 and last traded at $253.8480, with a volume of 20833 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $250.82.
A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $223.29.
View Our Latest Report on Williams-Sonoma
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% 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 38,156 shares of company stock valued at $7,190,899 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% in the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,703,000 after acquiring an additional 45,278 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after acquiring an additional 87,642 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at $801,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $1,173,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,612,000 after purchasing an additional 56,578 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.0%
The stock has a market cap of $29.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $226.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $205.57.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.04%.
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.
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