The following are the top rated Consumer Discretionary stocks according to Validea's Patient Investor model based on the published strategy of Warren Buffett. This strategy seeks out firms with long-term, predictable profitability and low debt that trade at reasonable valuations.
WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC (WSM) is a large-cap growth stock in the Retail (Specialty) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Warren Buffett is 86% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is an omnichannel specialty retailer of products for the home. Its products, representing distinct merchandise strategies, such as Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, Mark and Graham, and GreenRow are marketed through e-commerce Websites, retail stores and direct-mail catalogs. These brands are also part of The Key Rewards, its loyalty and credit card program that offers members benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands. Williams Sonoma products offer everything for cooking, dining and entertaining, including cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture and a vast library of cookbooks. It operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, offers international shipping to customers worldwide, and has unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea and India.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| EARNINGS PREDICTABILITY: | PASS |
| DEBT SERVICE: | PASS |
| RETURN ON EQUITY: | PASS |
| RETURN ON TOTAL CAPITAL: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | PASS |
| USE OF RETAINED EARNINGS: | PASS |
| SHARE REPURCHASE: | PASS |
| INITIAL RATE OF RETURN: | PASS |
| EXPECTED RETURN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of WILLIAMS-SONOMA INC
About Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett is considered by many to be the greatest investor of all time. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 for decades, and in the process has become one of the world's richest men. (Forbes puts his net worth at $37 billion.) Despite his fortune, Buffett is known for living a modest lifestyle, by billionaire standards. His primary residence remains the gray stucco Nebraska home he purchased for $31,500 nearly 50 years ago, according to Forbes, and his folksy Midwestern manner and penchant for simple pleasures -- a cherry Coke, a good burger, and a good book are all near the top of the list -- have been well-documented.
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
