Williams-Sonoma Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:WSM)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 2,323 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 162% compared to the average daily volume of 885 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $198.71.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE WSM traded down $3.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $193.55. 51,010 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,099,479. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $185.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.85. The company has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 17,839 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.51, for a total value of $3,184,439.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 859,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $153,355,798.88. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.