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

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

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Wedbush cut shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $150.00 to $135.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $148.00 to $156.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $135.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.84.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE WSM traded up $3.61 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $137.50. 906,677 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,919,700. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.44. Williams-Sonoma has a 52-week low of $88.24 and a 52-week high of $174.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a PE 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 earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.49, for a total transaction of $5,219,600.00. Following the completion of 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 represents a 3.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. This represents a 42.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 91,100 shares of company stock worth $12,525,126. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 186.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 7,536 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 4,901 shares during the last quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 68.7% during the third quarter. Novare Capital Management LLC now owns 10,145 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,132 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 105.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 173,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,897,000 after purchasing an additional 88,936 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 110.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 244,846 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,932,000 after purchasing an additional 128,523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 86.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 11,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 5,369 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

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.