Long-term consistency is key with WSM
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) is an American consumer retail company that sells kitchen-wares and home furnishings. Williams-Sonoma is one of the largest e-commerce retailers in the U.S., and one of the biggest multi-channel specialty retailers in the world. William-Sonoma’s brands include Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma Home, West Elm, Mark and Graham, and Rejuvenation. This afternoon, WSM was last seen trading 0.2% lower, at $153.87.
Williams-Sonoma stock has increased an impressive 84% year-over-year and is up 90% since hitting a bottom of $80.99 this time last year. Additionally, shares of WSM have grown 50% year-to-date, but are currently down a notable 21% since reaching record high of $194.69 in May. Williams-Sonoma stock also has a forward dividend of $2.36 and a dividend yield of 1.53%.
On the earnings front, Williams-Sonoma has beat Wall Street estimates on all four of its most recent quarterly earnings reports. For Q3 of 2020, WSM outperformed analyst estimates by a margin of $0.80 and reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.80. For Q4 of 2020, Williams-Sonoma' EPS increased to $2.56 and beat expectations by a margin of $1.03. For Q1 of 2021, WSM posted another increase in earnings, rising to $3.95 per share and beating estimates by a margin of $0.56. In the most recent quarterly report, Williams-Sonoma reported an EPS of $2.93 and beat expectations by a margin of $1.10.
Fundamentally, Williams-Sonoma stock currently trades at a great price-earnings ratio of 13.97. In addition, the company has experienced years of consecutive revenue and net income growth. Overall, Williams-Sonoma stock appears to be an excellent value stock for investors looking for long-term gains. WSM offers modest growth potential and a decent dividend yield for very little risk, which is key in today’s volatile market.
Despite this long-term company outperformance, analyst outlook has faltered on WSM, leaving plenty of room for upgrades. Heading into today, 12 of the 18 covering brokerage firms sport a tepid "hold" or "strong sell" rating.
Even further, pessimism has been running deep in the options pits for at least the past two weeks. This is per the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.11, which ranks in the 88th annual percentile at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX).