Williams-Sonoma, Inc. management check
WSM · Consumer Discretionary · Homefurnishing Retail · CEO Laura Alber
Filings as of
6 good · 0 to watch · 1 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Good
Have owners done well?
Beat its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2022 grew to $349, against $164 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.61 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Flag
What does the CEO cost owners?
3.1% of net income$33.3m of reported pay in fiscal 2026, against $1.1bn of net income.
- Good
Do they own the stock?
CEO stake ≈ 5.9 years of payThe CEO holds 883,814 shares, directly or through trusts (unvested awards not counted): about 5.9 years of pay. Light activity: no buys, $23.7m sold in six months. 30 of 30 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -2.9% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 1.4% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
3 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Laura Alber. 3 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Consumer Discretionary.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 100 | 70 | |
| Pay for performance | 80 | 79 | |
| CEO cost | 10 | 44 | |
| Skin in the game | 74 | 36 | |
| Dilution | 86 | 74 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 80 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Nearest in rank in Consumer Discretionary, by management score. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is 9th of 47 in its sector.
- 52TPRTapestry, Inc.80
- 54LOWLowe's80
- 67DECKDeckers Brands79
- 69WSMWilliams-Sonoma, Inc.79
- 74EXPEExpedia Group78
- 90AMZNAmazon77
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed May 6, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Laura Alber | $33.3m | $56.2m | $5.2m | $349 | $164 | $1.1bn |
| 2025 | Laura Alber | $27.7m | $132.5m | $5.3m | $355 | $161 | $1.1bn |
| 2024 | Laura Alber | $23.7m | $65.3m | $6.2m | $173 | $115 | $950.0m |
| 2023 | Laura Alber | $17.3m | −$164k | $5.6m | $102 | $89 | $1.1bn |
| 2022 | Laura Alber | $21.3m | $78.8m | $6.4m | $122 | $109 | $1.1bn |
The board says pay is tied most to Adjusted EPS. Its other key measures: •Adjusted EPS, •Revenue (3-year CAGR), •EPS (3-year CAGR), •Operating Cash Flow (3-year average), •Adjusted ROIC (3-year average).
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Laura Alber (PRESIDENT & CEO) held 883,814 shares directly after their latest Form 4 on Sep 16, 2026, roughly $197.0m at that filing's price.
Light activity: no buys, $23.7m sold in six months. 30 of 30 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- SoldLaura AlberPRESIDENT & CEO · 10b5-1 plan$21.9mSep 16, 2026
- SoldKaralyn YearoutEVP CHIEF TALENT OFFICER · 10b5-1 plan$864kOct 9, 2026
- SoldJeffrey HowieEVP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 10b5-1 plan$672kSep 16, 2026
- SoldAnne A. FinucaneDirector · 10b5-1 plan$200kOct 16, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Oct 19, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 1, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 12, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Sep 14, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 26, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Nov 9, 2021Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Jun 22, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $5.0bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 92% of net income, and $475.8m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $8.2bn | $8.7bn | $7.8bn | $7.7bn | $7.8bn |
| Net income | $1.1bn | $1.1bn | $950.0m | $1.1bn | $1.1bn |
| Stock-based pay | $95.2m | $90.3m | $84.8m | $99.0m | $106.5m |
| Buybacks | $899.4m | $880.0m | $313.0m | $807.5m | $854.0m |
| Dividends | $187.5m | $217.3m | $232.5m | $280.1m | $316.5m |
| Diluted shares | 76m | 138m | 131m | 128m | 123m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.