Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Rating Lowered by Wedbush

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wedbush from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $135.00 target price on the specialty retailer's stock, down from their prior target price of $150.00. Wedbush's price objective suggests a potential upside of 1.96% from the company's previous close.

WSM has been the topic of several other research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $139.83.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $132.40. 1,636,738 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,913,058. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $71.92 and a 52 week high of $174.26. The firm has a market cap of $16.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.74. The company's 50 day moving average price is $141.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.44.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 536.3% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $108,345,000 after purchasing an additional 323,400 shares in the last quarter. HS Management Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 121.0% in the 3rd quarter. HS Management Partners LLC now owns 401,105 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $62,139,000 after buying an additional 219,591 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 28.6% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 964,910 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $272,462,000 after acquiring an additional 214,669 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 212.4% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 313,335 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,542,000 after acquiring an additional 213,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $58,213,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.