Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Raised to Strong-Buy at Baird R W

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Baird R W from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wedbush cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $178.93.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded up $0.06 on Monday, hitting $147.95. 1,802,890 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,064,483. Williams-Sonoma has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The company has a market cap of $18.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $179.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.82.

Remove Ads

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.79, for a total value of $6,020,166.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,690,666.52. This represents a 43.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total transaction of $1,212,240.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,501,002.65. This trade represents a 32.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 120,720 shares of company stock worth $21,828,609 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.