Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Upgraded at Zelman & Associates

Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. Zelman & Associates currently has $205.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.00.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $204.64 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $219.54. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.54.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSM. State Street Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $212,107,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.