Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Shares Gap Down to $150.08

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $150.08, but opened at $146.06. Williams-Sonoma shares last traded at $147.11, with a volume of 101,082 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.17.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $142.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.04. The firm has a market cap of $18.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.74.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 27.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total transaction of $6,258,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,551,066.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $13,563,526. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.