Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $165.00 to $185.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.03.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM traded up $7.36 on Monday, hitting $200.06. 1,678,193 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,347,681. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $95.76 and a 1-year high of $200.56. The company has a market capitalization of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $166.44 and its 200 day moving average is $151.94.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.