Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $170.00 to $195.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Williams-Sonoma traded as high as $210.91 and last traded at $209.73, with a volume of 1851382 shares. The stock had previously closed at $202.83.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on WSM. Barclays increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $116.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $134.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three equities research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.16.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total transaction of $9,349,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 944,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of Williams-Sonoma 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. The trade was a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock valued at $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Caprock Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 9,013 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,669,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 57,495 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,647,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Berkshire Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 563,058 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $104,267,000 after purchasing an additional 31,754 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.1 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $184.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.07 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.79.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.97%.

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.