Barclays believes Williams-Sonoma could lag even in a stable consumer scenario

Barclays lowered Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:) to Underweight from Equal Weight in a note Monday.

The firm stated that the stock has “the most comps risk ahead” in the U.S. Broadlines, Hardlines & Food Retail sector.

WSM “stands out the most and has some unique risks on comps and uncertainty on out-year margins and earnings vs. consensus, although its low valuation may limit the absolute downside,” wrote Barclays analysts.

“We are moving to UW until we can get better visibility on where earnings can truly reset and normalize,” the analysts added.

While Barclays said it has considered the numerous positive changes in its model since 2019 that should support higher margins than in the past and the low relative valuation currently, they are concerned that the stock could lag even in a stable consumer scenario.