Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $247.48 and last traded at $247.9470, with a volume of 46366 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $239.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 3.7%

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $221.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.16. The company has a market capitalization of $29.28 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tema ETFs LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 8.7% during the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 1,815 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.1% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 146,185 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $34,076,000 after buying an additional 10,965 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $229,000. Everpar Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth about $218,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,531 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during 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.