JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target to $168.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $153.00 to $168.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the specialty retailer's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target suggests a potential downside of 1.36% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, March 17th. One investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $177.93.

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Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 4.1 %

WSM stock traded up $6.67 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $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 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $20.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $196.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.90.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at $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 Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mariner LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 11,225 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,079,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 396 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,474 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 4,091 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 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.