Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $245.5556.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $229.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $250,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,179,250. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 21,796.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,913,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,604,587,000 after buying an additional 36,745,135 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $316,920,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on high-quality home furnishings, housewares and lifestyle products. The company sells furniture, bedding, bath goods, lighting, rugs, window treatments, home décor, kitchen equipment, cookware, tabletop products, outdoor furnishings and related accessories through e-commerce platforms, catalogs and retail stores.

The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Rejuvenation.