Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Given New $145.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $136.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 5.45% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently commented on WSM. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $138.84.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM traded up $3.61 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $137.50. The stock had a trading volume of 906,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,919,700. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $88.24 and a one year high of $174.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.76.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. This trade represents a 42.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 990,956 shares in the company, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 91,100 shares of company stock valued at $12,525,126. Corporate insiders own 1.50% 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 WSM. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% in the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.