Jefferies Financial Group Boosts Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target to $226.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price upped by Jefferies Financial Group from $194.00 to $226.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 16.55% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.78.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.2 %

WSM traded down $4.31 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $193.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 974,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,968,359. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $155.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.77. The firm has a market cap of $23.87 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $95.76 and a one year high of $199.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 106.2% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 3,885 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001 shares in the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 98.0% during the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 182,328 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,246,000 after purchasing an additional 90,230 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 72.3% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 206,645 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,013,000 after acquiring an additional 86,742 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 247,243 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $36,119,000 after acquiring an additional 139,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 89.9% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 21,707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,363,000 after acquiring an additional 10,278 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by 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.