Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $222.00 and last traded at $213.5350, with a volume of 301103 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $210.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.64. The business’s 50-day moving average is $201.61 and its 200-day moving average is $195.75.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,440,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $435,840,000 after purchasing an additional 170,991 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $342,797,000 after buying an additional 130,940 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $316,920,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

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.