Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $199.9444.

A number of research firms have commented on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $181.03 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $193.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.57. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.56.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The business had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. The business’s 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, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total value of $18,015,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $175,534,477.59. This represents a 9.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 3,500 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.79, for a total transaction of $695,765.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,783,656.37. This trade represents a 20.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 114,153 shares of company stock worth $22,901,008 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 99 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.