Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Price Target Raised to $195.00 at Morgan Stanley

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $170.00 to $195.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

WSM has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $140.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $136.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $145.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.16.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM stock opened at $211.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $184.01 and a 200-day moving average of $156.87. The company has a market cap of $26.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.79. Williams-Sonoma has a one year low of $95.76 and a one year high of $212.92.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.97%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.76, for a total value of $9,349,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 944,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,263,808.16. This trade represents a 4.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.39, for a total transaction of $560,552.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,228,767.32. This trade represents a 6.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 88,160 shares of company stock worth $15,129,352. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westmount Partners LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 6,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.6% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 100.0% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 200 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.