Williams-Sonoma shares rise as stay-at-home trends fuel better-than-expected sales

Pedestrians walk in front of a Williams-Sonoma Inc. store in San Francisco, California.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Williams-Sonoma posted fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat analysts’ expectations as consumers continued to shop for new products for their home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The company’s stock rose about 10% in extended trading, as the company expects its growth to continue in the year ahead.

Here’s what the company reported for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with what Wall Street analysts expected, using a survey from Refinitiv: 

  • Earnings per share: $3.95 adjusted vs. $3.39 expected 
  • Revenue: $2.29 billion vs. $2.18 billion expected 

“In Q4, despite shipping constraints and low retail traffic, we delivered another quarter of accelerating revenue and profitability with 26% comp growth and over 85% EPS growth,” said Laura Alber, president and CEO of Williams-Sonoma, in a press release.

Net income rose to $309 million, or $3.92 per share, from $166 million, or $2.10 per share, a year earlier. 

Excluding items, Williams-Sonoma earned $3.95 per share, topping the $3.39 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. 

Net sales rose to $2.29 billion from $1.84 billion a year ago, beating expectations of $2.18 billion.

For fiscal year 2021, the retailer expects retail traffic to recover and inventory levels to improve.

The company said it expects its performance to be in line with its long-term financial targets, which call for mid-to-high single-digit revenue growth.

Williams-Sonoma said it will boost its dividend by 11.3% to 59 cents a share. Meanwhile, its board approved plans to buy back $1 billion in stock. The new repurchase plan replaces its prior authorization and will go into effect on March 17.

Williams-Sonoma also owns furniture companies Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen and Kids and West Elm.

Read the full earnings release here.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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