FMP

FMP

Williams-Sonoma Shares Up 5% on Q4 EPS Beat, Raises Dividends & Approves $1.5 Billion Share Repurchase

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) shares closed more than 5% higher on Thursday following the company’s reported Q4 results, with EPS of $5.42 coming in better than the Street estimate of $4.82. Revenue came in at $2.5 billion, slightly lower than the Street estimate of $2.58 billion.

Supply chain hiccups pressured Pottery Barn Kids sales during the quarter more than expected, while the Williams-Sonoma brand comps softened on tough comparisons. Yet, overall demand comps remained strong and the company still posted 10.8% comps for Q4 (vs. Street’s 13%).

Analysts at Wedbush provided their views on the company, noting they continue to see rapid growth in the highly accretive B2B segment that could add another 500 bps to comps (after contributing 500 bps in 2021) and add 30-40 bps to operating margins.

The company provided its full 2022-year outlook, expecting financial performance to be in line with its long-term guidance of mid-to-high single-digit annual revenue growth. In addition, the board of directors raised the quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.78 per share, and authorized a new stock repurchase program of $1.5 billion.

While macro risks are rising, the analysts see strong near- and long-term prospects, leading them to raise estimates, and increase their price target to $200 from $190, while reiterating their outperform rating.