Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Raised to $226.00

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target increased by Jefferies Financial Group from $194.00 to $226.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WSM. Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Wedbush boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.78.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $183.68 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma has a 12-month low of $95.76 and a 12-month high of $199.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.48. The company has a market cap of $22.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.81.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.98%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total value of $5,219,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,309,848.44. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams-Sonoma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 2,746 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.