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Post Holdings, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net sales slipped in the quarter: Third-quarter net sales fell 1.8% to $1,948.0 million from $1,984.3 million a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA down 5.0%: Adjusted EBITDA was $377.3 million, down 5.0%. Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.78 against $2.03 a year earlier. Source
  • Post Consumer Brands sales rose: Post Consumer Brands net sales rose 6.6% to $974.2 million, and segment Adjusted EBITDA rose 11.2% to $197.3 million, with pet food and cereal volumes lower. Source
  • Foodservice profit fell after pricing lap: Foodservice net sales fell 6.5% to $652.9 million and segment profit fell 18.6% to $100.8 million, reflecting the lapping of prior-year avian influenza pricing. Source
  • Pet food volumes fell on distribution: Pet food volumes declined 7.8%, mainly from distribution losses and category declines. Source
  • Gross margin fell to 29.1%: Gross margin was 29.1% against 30.0%, with gross profit down 5.0% to $566.3 million. The documents give no single driver for the change. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow higher: Nine-month free cash flow was $401.5 million against $336.5 million, from operating cash of $691.3 million less capital expenditures of $289.8 million. Source

“While Post’s fiscal year 2027 budget is in development, management currently expects that growth in Foodservice off its $500 million run rate, pricing actions and productivity initiatives will largely offset inflationary pressures and continued volume softness in certain categories.”

Post Holdings, Inc., press release

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFiscal year 2026$1,560-$1,570 million
Capital expenditures SourceFiscal year 2026$370-$390 million
Capital expenditures, Foodservice egg facilities SourceFiscal year 2026$80-$90 million in aggregateKept
Adjusted EBITDA excluding comparability items SourceEntering fiscal year 2027approximately $1.48 billionNew
Adjusted EBITDA, preliminary SourceFiscal year 2027generally flat versus approximately $1.48 billionNew
Foodservice earnings, comparability item SourceFiscal year 2026approximately $60 million above the $500 million normalized run rateNew
Divestiture contributions, comparability item SourceFiscal year 2026approximately $20 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Ended: Sale of the Crystal Farms Dairy assets was completed. That business had been reported in the Refrigerated Retail segment. Source

Quarterly results and drivers

  • Net sales slipped in the quarter: Third-quarter net sales fell 1.8% to $1,948.0 million from $1,984.3 million a year earlier. Source
  • Net earnings and EPS declined: Net earnings were $63.4 million, down 41.7%. Diluted EPS was $1.29 against $1.79, and operating profit fell 19.3% to $189.3 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA down 5.0%: Adjusted EBITDA was $377.3 million, down 5.0%. Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.78 against $2.03 a year earlier. Source
  • Nine-month Adjusted EBITDA higher: For nine months, net sales rose to $6,165.5 million and Adjusted EBITDA rose 6.9%, while nine-month net earnings fell 15.0% to $242.1 million. Source

Segment results

  • Post Consumer Brands sales rose: Post Consumer Brands net sales rose 6.6% to $974.2 million, and segment Adjusted EBITDA rose 11.2% to $197.3 million, with pet food and cereal volumes lower. Source
  • Foodservice profit fell after pricing lap: Foodservice net sales fell 6.5% to $652.9 million and segment profit fell 18.6% to $100.8 million, reflecting the lapping of prior-year avian influenza pricing. Source
  • Refrigerated Retail sales and profit fell: Refrigerated Retail net sales fell 21.1% to $184.5 million and segment profit fell 61.2% to $9.5 million, with the Crystal Farms sale among the causes. Source
  • Weetabix sales flat, profit higher: Weetabix net sales were flat at $137.1 million, with currency adding about 40 basis points. Segment profit rose 35.2% to $26.1 million. Source

“Declines in net sales, segment profit and segment Adjusted EBITDA reflect the lapping of avian influenza pricing in the prior year period.”

Post Holdings, Inc., press release

Volumes, products and customers

  • Pet food volumes fell on distribution: Pet food volumes declined 7.8%, mainly from distribution losses and category declines. Source
  • Cereal volumes fell on several causes: Cereal and granola volumes declined 5.5%. The company cited category declines, value cereal distribution losses and pack size changes. Source
  • Foodservice volumes rose on service: Foodservice volumes rose 4.3%, attributed to better customer service levels and higher production of protein-based shakes. Source

Costs, margins and held-for-sale losses

  • Gross margin fell to 29.1%: Gross margin was 29.1% against 30.0%, with gross profit down 5.0% to $566.3 million. The documents give no single driver for the change. Source
  • SG&A rose as share of sales: SG&A rose 4.5% to $326.1 million, or 16.7% of net sales, up from 15.7% a year earlier. Source
  • Held-for-sale loss excluded from EBITDA: A $15.0 million loss on amounts held for sale was excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, which the company treats as inconsistent in amount and frequency. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Nine-month free cash flow higher: Nine-month free cash flow was $401.5 million against $336.5 million, from operating cash of $691.3 million less capital expenditures of $289.8 million. Source
  • Third-quarter buybacks completed: In the third quarter Post repurchased 2.1 million shares for $198.9 million at $98.86 per share. Nine-month repurchases totaled $908.8 million. Source
  • Buybacks continued after quarter-end: From quarter-end through August 5, 2026, Post repurchased 0.4 million shares for $39.3 million at an average of $88.80. Source
  • Repurchase authorization remaining: Remaining capacity under the share repurchase authorization was $490.7 million as of August 5, 2026. Source
  • Net leverage at 4.6x: Net leverage under the credit agreement was 4.6x, and consolidated interest coverage was 3.8x on twelve-month figures to June 30, 2026. Source

Non-GAAP measures and exclusions

  • Stock compensation excluded from EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock-based compensation of $19.7 million for the quarter, which the company says varies with award timing, size and nature. Source
  • Integration and transaction costs excluded: Integration costs of $5.6 million and transaction costs of $2.3 million were excluded from Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter. Source
  • Guidance given only on non-GAAP basis: Adjusted EBITDA guidance is not reconciled to GAAP because certain adjustments are hard to forecast. The company says these amounts could be significant. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 August 2026

  • Prepared remarks to be published: Prepared remarks related to the release are to be published on the company website shortly after the release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Post Consumer Brands volume, excluding 8th Avenue Sourcedecreased 7.1%
Foodservice volume Sourceincreased 4.3%
Refrigerated Retail volume, excluding Crystal Farms Sourcedecreased 4.9%
Weetabix volume Sourcedecreased 3.8%

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Net interest expense rose on higher average debt, a higher weighted-average interest rate and lower interest income, as management described. Source
  • Demand: Pet food volume declines were attributed to distribution losses and category declines. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.