Williams Sonoma Inc

Gourmet-cookware retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc. on Tuesday reported holiday sales that exceeded analysts' estimates on gains at all but one of its chains. The company's stock rose 5.85%, the most in more than two years. Sales at Williams-Sonoma's stores open more than a year rose 1.1% for the eight weeks through Dec. 24, the San Francisco-based retailer said. Total revenue gained 3.6% to $900.4 million.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., the owner of kitchenware stores and the Pottery Barn home decor retail chain, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore strategic options, which could include the sale of the company, people familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Goldman declined to comment. San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma didn't return several calls seeking comment. Williams-Sonoma's contact with Goldman is seen to be in its early stages, and sources were not aware of any buyers at the doorstep.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. said fourth-quarter profit rose more than analysts anticipated as sales gained at its namesake gourmet food and cookware chain. The San Francisco-based company also raised its dividend 15% and said it planned to buy back as many as 5 million, or 4.5%, of its shares. Net income rose to $121.1 million, or $1.06 a share, in the three months through Jan. 28, from $120.8 million, or $1.02, a year earlier, Williams-Sonoma said.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest gourmet-cookware retailer in the U.S., said Wednesday that first-quarter profit fell 21% as sales at its Pottery Barn stores declined for the fourth consecutive quarter. Revenue rose 2.7% to $816.1 million, the smallest gain in at least nine years. Net income decreased to $18.2 million, or 16 cents a share, Williams-Sonoma said. Profit a year earlier was $23.1 million, or 20 cents.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest U.S. gourmet-cookware chain, reported profit Wednesday that exceeded analysts' estimates and increased its full-year earnings forecast. The stock price rose the most in more than five years. The retailer's Pottery Barn unit, whose 190 stores account for half of revenue, boosted sales at locations open at least a year for the first time in five quarters.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., the biggest U.S. gourmet-cookware chain, said third-quarter profit dropped and fourth-quarter earnings would be at the low end of an earlier forecast as the housing slump discouraged shoppers. Its shares fell the most in a year. Fewer customers are visiting stores this month than the retailer anticipated amid a weakening economy, Chief Executive Howard Lester said. Net income decreased 7.1% to $27.1 million, or 25 cents a share, meeting analysts' estimates.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. on Thursday posted an increase in holiday-season sales but said it would shutter its Hold Everything stores and take a charge in its fiscal fourth quarter. The home-goods retailer said it would consolidate its Hold Everything brand of closet-organizing items into its other brands. The move leads to a charge of $10 million to $12 million, or 9 cents to 10 cents a share.

Home furnishing retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc., which owns the Pottery Barn and West Elm brands, said Monday that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 6% and initiated its first quarterly cash dividend. The company also said it expected double-digit revenue growth to drive its profit well above Wall Street estimates in the coming year. Its shares fell 18 cents to $42.28. Net income grew to $120.8 million, or $1.02 a share, in the three months ended Jan. 29 from $113.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. said Chairman W. Howard Lester and Chief Executive Edward A. Mueller were each getting a $731,300 bonus for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 29. The bonuses matched those that Lester and Mueller received for each of the two preceding years, according to the San Francisco-based home product retailer's last two annual proxy statements.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. on Wednesday reported a gain in fiscal first-quarter revenue, but its stock fell as the upscale home furnishings retailer lowered its forecast for the current period. The San Francisco-based company attributed its first-quarter results to strong clearance sales at its Hold Everything stores. But their absence will hurt projected second-quarter sales, and the company lowered its earnings and sales outlook.