Williams-Sonoma, Inc. announces strong third quarter 2025 results
Today announced operating results for the third quarter ended November 2, 2025 versus the third quarter ended October 27, 2024.
We are proud to deliver strong results in the third quarter of 2025 with an accelerating positive top-line comp and continued outperformance in profitability. In Q3, our comp came in above expectations at 4.0%, with another quarter of positive comps in all brands. Operating margin came in at 17.0%, expanding 10 basis points, with earnings per share of $1.96, growing 4.8% year-over-year. We are encouraged by our continued strong performance, and are confident in our outlook for Q4. We are reiterating full year comparable brand revenue growth to be in the range of 2% to 5%, and we are raising our bottom-line guidance to an operating margin of 17.8% to 18.1%,” said Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Alber concluded, “Our continued strong results reflect the power of our operating model, industry-leading channel experiences, and strong portfolio of brands. Each-and-every day, we prioritize innovation, product design, and exceptional customer service. These are the qualities that set us apart in a fragmented industry and position us to capture additional market share. We see tremendous opportunity to continue to lead our industry as we execute on our vision to own the home – and the places where our customers work, stay, and play.”
THIRD QUARTER 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
- Comparable brand revenue +4.0%.
- Gross margin of 46.1% +70bps to LY driven by (i) higher merchandise margins of +60bps and (ii) supply chain efficiencies of +30bps, partially offset by (iii) higher occupancy costs of -20bps. Occupancy costs of $207 million, +5.9% to LY.
- SG&A rate of 29.1% +60bps to LY driven by (i) higher performance-based incentive compensation and (ii) higher advertising expenses, partially offset by (iii) general expense leverage. SG&A of $549 million, +7.0% to LY.
- Operating income of $319 million with an operating margin of 17.0%. +10bps to LY.
- Diluted EPS of $1.96. +4.8% to LY.
- Merchandise inventories +9.6% to the third quarter LY to $1.5 billion, including incremental tariff costs and a strategic pull forward of receipts.
- Maintained strong liquidity position of $885 million in cash and $316 million in operating cash flow enabling the company to deliver returns to stockholders of $347 million through $267 million in stock repurchases and $80 million in dividends.
STOCK REPURCHASE AUTHORIZATION
As of November 2, 2025, there was $637 million remaining under the Company’s September 2024 stock repurchase authorization. In November 2025, the Board of Directors approved a new $1 billion stock repurchase authorization, which will become effective once the Company’s current stock repurchase authorization is fully utilized. The Company’s stock repurchase program authorizes the purchase of the Company’s common stock through open market and privately negotiated transactions, including through Rule 10b5-1 plans, at such times and in such amounts as management deems appropriate. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, capital availability and other market conditions. The stock repurchase program does not have an expiration date and may be limited or terminated at any time without prior notice.
FIRST QUARTER 2024 OUT-OF-PERIOD FREIGHT ADJUSTMENT
Subsequent to the filing of our fiscal 2023 Form 10-K, in April 2024, we determined that we over-recognized freight expense in fiscal years 2021, 2022 and 2023 for a cumulative amount of $49 million. We evaluated the error, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and determined that no prior interim or annual periods were materially misstated. We then evaluated whether the cumulative amount of the over-accrual was material to our projected fiscal 2024 results, and determined the cumulative amount was not material. Therefore, the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the thirty-nine weeks ended October 27, 2024 include an out-of-period adjustment of $49 million, recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2024, to reduce cost of goods sold and accounts payable, which corrected the cumulative error on the balance sheet as of January 28, 2024.
OUTLOOK
- We are reiterating our fiscal 2025 net revenue guidance. We expect annual net revenues in the range of +0.5% to +3.5% inclusive of the impact from the 53rd week in fiscal 2024, with comps in the range of +2.0% to +5.0%.
- We are raising our guidance on operating margin for fiscal 2025. We now expect an operating margin between 17.8% to 18.1% (with the 53rd week contributing 20bps in fiscal 2024).
- Our updated guidance includes (i) the new Section 232 tariffs on furniture, (ii) the revised additional tariffs on China of 20%, (iii) the tariffs on India of 50%, (iv) the tariffs on Vietnam of 20%, (v) average tariffs on the rest of the world of 18%, (vi) the steel and aluminum tariff of 50% and (vii) the copper tariff of 50%.
- For fiscal 2025, we expect annual interest income to be approximately $35 million and our effective tax rate to be approximately 26.0%.
- Fiscal 2025 is a 52-week year. Our financial statements will be prepared on a 52-week basis in fiscal 2025 versus 53-week basis in fiscal 2024. However, we will report comps on a 52-week versus 52-week comparable basis. All other year-over-year comparisons will be 52-weeks in fiscal 2025 versus 53-weeks in fiscal 2024.
- Over the long term, we continue to expect mid-to-high single-digit annual net revenue growth with an operating margin in the mid-to-high teens.
CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will host a live conference call today, November 19, 2025, at 7:00 A.M. (PT). The call will be open to the general public via live webcast and can be accessed at http://ir.williams-sonomainc.com/events. A replay of the webcast will be available at http://ir.williams-sonomainc.com/events.
SEC REGULATION G — NON-GAAP INFORMATION
This press release and our accompanying earnings call may include non-GAAP financial measures. We have not provided a reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to the corresponding U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) measures on a forward-looking basis as we cannot do so without unreasonable efforts due to the potential variability and limited visibility of excluded items; these excluded items may include exit costs, reduction-in-force initiatives, impairment and early termination charges, among others. For the same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of such excluded items. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures, when reviewed in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, can provide meaningful supplemental information for investors regarding the performance of our business and facilitate a meaningful evaluation of current period performance on a comparable basis with prior periods. Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in order to have comparable financial results to analyze changes in our underlying business from quarter to quarter. In addition, certain other items may be excluded from non-GAAP financial measures when the company believes this provides greater clarity to management and investors. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for or superior to the GAAP financial measures presented in this press release and our financial statements and other publicly filed reports. Such non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
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