Wedbush Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Stock Price

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Wedbush from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Wedbush’s price target suggests a potential upside of 1.37% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $140.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $178.19.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of WSM stock traded up $1.43 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $167.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 545,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,802,288. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.82. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.88.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $3.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.34 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.56% and a net margin of 14.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.44 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,408 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $273,602.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,014,116.16. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at $196,263,808.16. This represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $557,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 111.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,745 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,138,000 after purchasing an additional 28,880 shares during the period. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,111,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 1,396 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $260,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $86,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.