Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Increases Quarterly Dividend by 10%, Resumes Share Repurchase Program, and Pays Down $500 Million Revolver
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) has announced a 10% increase in its quarterly cash dividend to $0.53 per share, effective November 27, 2020. This follows a previously announced dividend of $0.48. The company also resumed its share repurchase program and fully repaid its short-term borrowings under a $500 million revolver, signaling ongoing business strength. CEO Laura Alber emphasized confidence in their strategies for long-term growth and profitability amidst the pandemic's impact on consumer behavior.
- 10% increase in quarterly cash dividend to $0.53 per share, enhancing shareholder returns.
- Resumed share repurchase program indicates strong cash flow and shareholder value.
- Full repayment of short-term borrowings under $500 million revolver reflects strong liquidity.
- None.
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) announced today that its Board of Directors has authorized a
Given the on-going strength of its business and liquidity position, the company has also decided to resume its share repurchase program and has repaid in full the short-term borrowings under its
“Our decisions to increase our quarterly dividend, resume our share buyback program and pay down our revolver reflect the strength of our business and financial position, and our commitment to maximizing returns for our shareholders,” said Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our strong performance during this pandemic reinforces the relevance of our curated, sustainable products and the power of our digital-first platform. We are seeing an inflection point in our business and are more confident than ever in our strategies to deliver strong, long-term growth with increasing profitability.”
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they do not fully materialize or are proven incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to: the timing and amounts of our quarterly cash dividends; the timing and amounts of our stock repurchase program; our commitment to return capital to stockholders and maximize stockholder returns; our multi-channel, multi-brand model; and our ability to generate cash and increase long-term profitability.
The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include: continuing changes in general economic conditions, and the impact on consumer confidence and consumer spending; new interpretations of or changes to current accounting rules; our ability to anticipate consumer preferences and buying trends; dependence on timely introduction and customer acceptance of our merchandise; changes in consumer spending based on weather, political, competitive and other conditions beyond our control; delays in store openings; competition from companies with concepts or products similar to ours; timely and effective sourcing of merchandise from our foreign and domestic vendors and delivery of merchandise through our supply chain to our stores and customers; effective inventory management; our ability to manage customer returns; successful catalog management, including timing, sizing and merchandising; uncertainties in e-marketing, infrastructure and regulation; multi-channel and multi-brand complexities; our ability to introduce new brands and brand extensions; challenges associated with our increasing global presence; dependence on external funding sources for operating capital; disruptions in the financial markets; our ability to control employment, occupancy and other operating costs; our ability to improve our systems and processes; changes to our information technology infrastructure; general political, economic and market conditions and events, including war, conflict or acts of terrorism; the impact of recently enacted and potential future tariffs; the continuing impact of Covid-19 on our business, supply chain and consumer demand, and our ability to mitigate impacts and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in our public announcements, reports to stockholders and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2020 and all subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
ABOUT WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a specialty retailer of high-quality products for the home. These products, representing distinct merchandise strategies — Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, PBteen, Williams Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham — are marketed through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs and retail stores. These brands are also part of The Key Rewards, our free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands. We operate in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, offer international shipping to customers worldwide, and have unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico and South Korea, as well as e-commerce websites in certain locations.
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