Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Given “Outperform” Rating at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group reissued their outperform rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $165.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock.

WSM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wedbush downgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $139.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $130.65. 1,885,321 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,857,123. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.76. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $80.49 and a fifty-two week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This represents a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.