Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $158.78.

Several research firms have issued reports on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $192.70 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $166.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.05. Williams-Sonoma has a 1 year low of $95.76 and a 1 year high of $199.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 26.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total value of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, valued at $129,309,848.44. This represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smithfield Trust Co boosted 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Clean Yield Group purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 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.