Loop Capital Increases Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target to $180.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target increased by analysts at Loop Capital from $145.00 to $180.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Loop Capital’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 4.73% from the company’s current price.

WSM has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $171.88 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $143.08 and its 200 day moving average is $144.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $90.31 and a fifty-two week high of $181.42.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The business’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. The trade was a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.