KeyCorp Upgrades Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) to Overweight

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at KeyCorp from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $181.00 price target on the specialty retailer's stock. KeyCorp's target price indicates a potential upside of 19.64% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WSM. Baird R W raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $179.06.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.7 %

NYSE:WSM opened at $151.29 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $125.33 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $167.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $172.90.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.44 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $1,212,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. This trade represents a 32.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 915 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $129,646.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $6,572,715.72. The trade was a 1.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,635 shares of company stock valued at $12,609,055 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

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.

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