No less than nine analysts lifted their price targets
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) is coming off a first-quarter earnings beat, announced last night after the close. The company reported profits of $2.93 per share on $1.75 billion in revenue, the latter coming in line with analysts' estimates. The houseware retail name cited a strong demand for home goods as a result of the pandemic, and lifted its fiscal 2021 revenue outlook to low double digits to mid teens from its previous mid-to-high single digit growth projection.
No less than nine analysts lifted their price targets, including Barclays to $208 from $187. This round of price-target hikes is well overdue. Heading into today, the 12-month consensus price target of $163.72 stood at a 4.4% discount to Wednesday's close. What's more, of the 17 analysts covering WSM, just five say "buy" or better, while nine say "hold" and three call the equity a "sell" or worse.
The options pits have taken an equally bearish stance. In the last 10 weeks, 2.59 puts were picked up for every call at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio stands in the 84th percentile of its annual range, suggesting long puts are being picked up at a much quicker-than-usual pace.
A further unwinding of pessimism could be in the cards, especially considering the security's current technical setup. The stock saw an impressive bull gap in March, following its last quarterly earnings report, with a new floor forming at the $160 level. The 70-day moving average has also moved in as support, capturing the equity's pullback from its May 10 record high of $194.69. WSM was last seen up 2.2% to trade at $171.29, pacing for its fourth-straight win. Even better, the equity is up over 146% in the past 12 months.