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Sysco Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales and volume grew: Sales rose 4.7% to $20.5 billion in the 13-week quarter. U.S. Foodservice case volume rose 2.3%, and U.S. local case volume rose 3.3%. Source
  • Operating income declined: Operating income fell 9.1% to $619 million, and adjusted operating income fell 0.6% to $768 million. Net earnings fell 15.2% to $340 million, and diluted EPS was $0.71, down 13.4%. Source
  • U.S. Foodservice returned to profit growth: U.S. Foodservice sales rose 3.1% to $14.2 billion. Operating income rose 2.4% to $772 million, and adjusted operating income rose 5.1% to $830 million. Source
  • Operating expenses rose 10.1%: Operating expenses rose 10.1%, and adjusted operating expenses rose 8.4%. The company cited higher incentive compensation, sales headcount and capacity investments. Source
  • Local volume growth highest in three years: U.S. local case volume grew 3.3% in the quarter, the highest quarterly rate in over three years, according to management. Source
  • Jetro agreement announced after quarter: The agreement to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot was announced on March 30, 2026, after the quarter ended. Source
  • Jetro serves smaller independent operators: Jetro is a cash-and-carry wholesaler serving smaller independent restaurants and businesses. Source

“Our USFS segment returned to operating profit growth for the quarter.”

Kevin Hourican, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Full-year adjusted EPS Sourcefiscal 2026high end of $4.50 to $4.60Kept
U.S. local case growth Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026over 2.5%New
Jetro Restaurant Depot acquisition closing Sourceby third quarter of fiscal 2027by Sysco’s third quarter of fiscal 2027Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: A fourth-quarter U.S. local case growth figure of over 2.5% was given. The prior release gave only a third-quarter local growth figure of over 3.0%. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales and volume grew: Sales rose 4.7% to $20.5 billion in the 13-week quarter. U.S. Foodservice case volume rose 2.3%, and U.S. local case volume rose 3.3%. Source
  • Gross profit and margin rose: Gross profit rose 6.5% to $3.8 billion, and gross margin rose 31 basis points to 18.6%. Management attributed this to volumes, sourcing efficiencies and inflation management. Source
  • Operating income declined: Operating income fell 9.1% to $619 million, and adjusted operating income fell 0.6% to $768 million. Net earnings fell 15.2% to $340 million, and diluted EPS was $0.71, down 13.4%. Source
  • Year-to-date adjusted EPS higher: For the 39 weeks, adjusted diluted EPS rose 3.4% to $3.08. Source

Segments and regions

  • U.S. Foodservice returned to profit growth: U.S. Foodservice sales rose 3.1% to $14.2 billion. Operating income rose 2.4% to $772 million, and adjusted operating income rose 5.1% to $830 million. Source
  • International sales growth: International sales rose 12.4% to $3.9 billion. At constant currency, sales rose 5.2% to $3.6 billion, with foreign exchange adding 7.2%. Source
  • International adjusted profit up: International adjusted operating income rose 12.5% to $144 million, or 7.0% to $137 million at constant currency. Reported operating income fell 13.5% to $83 million. Source
  • SYGMA sales and margin: SYGMA sales rose 2.5% to $2.1 billion and operating income rose to $18 million. Gross margin fell 34 basis points to 7.63%. Source

“supported by continued volume acceleration, gross margin expansion, and disciplined cost management, which included headwinds from lapping $63 million of incentive compensation”

Brandon Sewell, Sysco’s Interim Chief Financial Officer

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating expenses rose 10.1%: Operating expenses rose 10.1%, and adjusted operating expenses rose 8.4%. The company cited higher incentive compensation, sales headcount and capacity investments. Source
  • Incentive compensation cost of $63 million: Higher incentive compensation costs of $63 million, previously disclosed, represented a $0.10 impact to EPS. Source
  • Product cost inflation at 2.8%: Product cost inflation was 2.8% enterprise-wide, mainly in dairy, meat and seafood. Source
  • International gross margin rose: International gross margin rose 41 basis points to 21.5%, with gross profit up 14.6% to $834 million. Source

Local demand and case growth

  • Local volume growth highest in three years: U.S. local case volume grew 3.3% in the quarter, the highest quarterly rate in over three years, according to management. Source
  • Year-to-date case growth: For the 39 weeks, U.S. Foodservice case growth was 1.0% and local case growth was 1.4%. Source
  • Sysco brand share of cases lower: Sysco brand share of cases was 35.0% for U.S. Broadline and 45.1% for local, down 62 and 50 basis points for the quarter. Source

“We are encouraged by the progress, results, and momentum across each of our business segments.”

Kevin Hourican, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Jetro Restaurant Depot acquisition

  • Jetro agreement announced after quarter: The agreement to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot was announced on March 30, 2026, after the quarter ended. Source
  • Jetro serves smaller independent operators: Jetro is a cash-and-carry wholesaler serving smaller independent restaurants and businesses. Source
  • Jetro store count now 167: The release reports 167 Jetro stores in 35 states, one more than the 166 stated in the March 30 release. Source

Cash, balance sheet and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow up 11%: Cash flow from operations rose 11% to $1.5 billion, and free cash flow rose 19% to $1.1 billion on a year-to-date basis. Source
  • Leverage and liquidity at quarter end: Cash was $1.9 billion and total liquidity was $4.4 billion. Net debt to adjusted EBITDA was about 2.8 times. Source
  • Shareholder returns in 39 weeks: The company returned $978 million to shareholders: $200 million in share repurchases and $778 million in dividends. Source
  • Net capital spending of $330 million: Net capital expenditures were $330 million in the first 39 weeks of fiscal 2026. Source

Charges excluded from adjusted results

  • Restructuring and legal costs of $43 million: Restructuring, severance and legal-matter costs of $43 million were excluded from adjusted results for the quarter. Source
  • Transformation costs of $51 million: Transformation initiative costs of $51 million in the quarter were mainly supply chain transformation and business technology strategy changes. Source
  • Legal-matter charge removed for fiscal 2026: Fiscal 2026 adjusted results also remove a legal-matter charge. No similar charge applied in fiscal 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 April 2026

  • Jetro closing conditions and approvals: Closing is subject to customary conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
U.S. Foodservice total case growth, quarter Source2.3%
U.S. local case growth, quarter Source3.3%
Sysco brand share of cases, U.S. Broadline Source35.0%
Customer locations served Sourceapproximately 730,000

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: The Jetro transaction remains subject to regulatory review before closing. Source
  • Financial: Management cited an approximate $100 million headwind, or $0.16 per diluted share, from lapping lower fiscal 2025 incentive compensation. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said third-quarter U.S. local volume growth of 3.3% exceeded its prior commitment of over 3.0%. Source
  • Not stated: Management said results support its confidence in the full-year adjusted EPS range. No status against the range was given. 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.