Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) Announces Earnings Results

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The specialty retailer reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.23, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 72.68%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of WSM opened at $114.19 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $117.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.38. Williams-Sonoma has a twelve month low of $102.54 and a twelve month high of $176.89. The stock has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.61.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 20th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.78. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WSM. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $127.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, May 18th. StockNews.com began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Loop Capital lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $205.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Friday, March 17th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $155.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $127.18.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WSM. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.9% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 46,227 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,915,000 after buying an additional 3,373 shares during the period. Aviva PLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.7% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 14,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,140,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.3% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 391,118 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $56,712,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,415.9% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 2,092 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $292,000. 99.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc engages in the retailing of home products. It operates through the following segments: Pottery Barn, West Elm, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen and Other. The Other segment includes net revenues from international franchise operations, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham.