Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) had its target price decreased by Morgan Stanley from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $175.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $177.93.

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Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $6.67 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $170.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,403,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,917,784. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $196.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.90. The stock has a market cap of $20.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.30%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $273,602.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 99.29% of the stock is 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.