Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Raised to $185.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $165.00 to $185.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective 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. Barclays increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.03.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $194.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.95 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $95.76 and a 52-week high of $200.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $170.29 and its 200 day moving average is $152.88.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 26.98%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other 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 owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 11,923 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,208,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $257,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 20,281 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 4,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,574,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.