Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Receives "Outperform" Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reiterated by Telsey Advisory Group in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $220.00 target price on the specialty retailer's stock. Telsey Advisory Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 46.04% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $226.00 to $208.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $153.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $178.93.

Remove Ads

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 8.2 %

WSM stock traded up $11.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $150.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,461,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,045,681. Williams-Sonoma has a 1-year low of $125.33 and a 1-year high of $219.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $183.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $173.77. The firm has a market cap of $18.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.76.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The business had revenue of $2.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.78, for a total transaction of $4,973,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,018,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $168,826,041.72. This trade represents a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 36,312 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,690,666.52. This represents a 43.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 112,720 shares of company stock valued at $20,616,369. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 11,225 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,079,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 396 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth 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 period. Westmount Partners LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 4,091 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $758,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.