Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price increased by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential downside of 4.00% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WSM. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.41.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $171.88 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $90.31 and a one year high of $181.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $143.08 and a 200-day moving average of $144.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.76.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 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.