JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $136.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would suggest a potential upside of 5.62% from the company's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $138.84.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of WSM traded up $3.39 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $137.28. 4,078,808 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,933,854. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $88.24 and a 1-year high of $174.26. The business has a fifty day moving average of $141.39 and a 200-day moving average of $144.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in 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 during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors 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.