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Unifirst Corp.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 21 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter revenue rose 5.0%: Consolidated revenue rose 5.0% to $645.0 million, with the release attributing the increase primarily to organic growth in the Uniform & Facility Service Solutions segment. Source
  • Operating income and margin declined: Operating income was $41.7 million against $49.6 million, and operating margin was 6.5% against 8.1%. Adjusted EBITDA was $94.9 million against $88.1 million. Source
  • Uniform segment revenue rose 4.5%: Uniform & Facility Service Solutions revenue rose 4.5% to $585.4 million from $560.1 million, making up most of the consolidated increase. Source
  • Lower merchandise and selling costs: The Uniform segment's margin comparison reflected lower merchandise and selling costs as a percentage of revenue, partly offset by higher production and healthcare claims expenses. Source
  • Q4 costs recorded in Uniform segment: Transaction-related and Key Initiative costs were recorded in the Uniform segment, reducing its operating margin by 3.0% and its Adjusted EBITDA margin by 0.5%. Source
  • Closing expected by end of 2026: The companies expect the Cintas transaction to close before the end of calendar 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals. Source
  • FTC timing agreement sets December 11: Under an October 2, 2026 timing agreement, the companies agreed not to close before December 11, 2026, unless the FTC has given notice that its investigation is closed. Source
  • Cash and no long-term debt: Cash and cash equivalents totaled $192.1 million at August 29, 2026, and the company had no long-term debt outstanding. Source
  • Former COO now described: A reconciliation footnote describes Kelly Rooney as the former Chief Operating Officer, after the prior release called her the new Chief Operating Officer. Source

“We are pleased with how we closed the fiscal year with a solid fourth quarter delivering improved growth and profitability.”

Steven Sintros, UniFirst President and Chief Executive Officer

What changed from last quarter

  • New: UniFirst and Cintas agreed with the FTC on October 2, 2026 not to close the transaction before December 11, 2026, absent written notice that the FTC has closed its investigation. Source
  • New: The Canadian Competition Bureau issued a Supplementary Information Request to both companies on July 2, 2026, which the release says is part of its review of the transaction. Source
  • New: The expected closing window narrowed. The prior release said the deal was expected to close in the second half of calendar 2026; this release says before the end of calendar 2026. Source
  • Ended: Kelly Rooney is now described as the former Chief Operating Officer. The prior release described her as the new Chief Operating Officer. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Fourth-quarter revenue rose 5.0%: Consolidated revenue rose 5.0% to $645.0 million, with the release attributing the increase primarily to organic growth in the Uniform & Facility Service Solutions segment. Source
  • Operating income and margin declined: Operating income was $41.7 million against $49.6 million, and operating margin was 6.5% against 8.1%. Adjusted EBITDA was $94.9 million against $88.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin rose: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14.7% of revenue, compared with 14.3% in the prior year period. Source
  • Quarterly diluted EPS declined: Net income was $34.7 million against $41.0 million, and diluted EPS was $1.90 against $2.23. The quarterly tax rate was 19.8% against 20.2%. Source
  • Full-year net income and EPS lower: For fiscal 2026, net income was $109.5 million against $148.3 million, and diluted EPS was $6.02 against $7.98. Revenue for the year was $2.523 billion. Source

Segments and regions

  • Uniform segment revenue rose 4.5%: Uniform & Facility Service Solutions revenue rose 4.5% to $585.4 million from $560.1 million, making up most of the consolidated increase. Source
  • Uniform segment margins compared: Segment operating margin was 6.8% against 8.3%, and Adjusted EBITDA margin was 15.5% against 14.8%. Source
  • First Aid segment revenue up 13.0%: First Aid & Safety Solutions revenue rose 13.0% to $35.2 million. The segment had an operating loss of $1.5 million and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.1 million, which the release ties to First Aid van investment. Source
  • Other segment revenue rose 5.3%: Other segment revenue rose 5.3% to $24.5 million, with the release attributing growth to European operations. Source
  • Other segment income reflects seasonality: Other segment operating income was $3.3 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $4.2 million. The release says nuclear results are affected by seasonality, outage timing and project activity. Source

“I want to thank our thousands of Team Partners for their continued commitment to Always Deliver for our customers, one another, and UniFirst.”

Steven Sintros, UniFirst President and Chief Executive Officer

Costs and margins

  • Lower merchandise and selling costs: The Uniform segment's margin comparison reflected lower merchandise and selling costs as a percentage of revenue, partly offset by higher production and healthcare claims expenses. Source
  • Q4 costs recorded in Uniform segment: Transaction-related and Key Initiative costs were recorded in the Uniform segment, reducing its operating margin by 3.0% and its Adjusted EBITDA margin by 0.5%. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 costs totaled $50.5 million: Key Initiative and transaction costs for fiscal 2026 totaled $50.5 million, including $37.2 million of transaction-related costs, reducing operating income by that amount. Source
  • Q4 transaction fees of $14.4 million: Fourth-quarter results included $14.4 million of transaction-related costs, mainly legal, advisory and professional service fees. Key Initiative costs were $2.8 million. Source

Demand and customers

  • New accounts and retention improving: Management reported new customer account acquisitions in the quarter and continued improvement in customer retention, building on year-to-date progress. Source
  • Uniform organic growth at 4.6%: Organic growth in the Uniform segment was 4.6% in the quarter, a measure that excludes acquisitions and Canadian dollar fluctuations. Source
  • Reactor outages and refurbishment weighed: Management attributed Other segment growth to European operations, partly offset by a large refurbishment project winding down and fewer reactor outages. Source

Pending Cintas transaction

  • Closing expected by end of 2026: The companies expect the Cintas transaction to close before the end of calendar 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals. Source
  • FTC timing agreement sets December 11: Under an October 2, 2026 timing agreement, the companies agreed not to close before December 11, 2026, unless the FTC has given notice that its investigation is closed. Source
  • Canadian response completed September 29: Both companies received a Canadian Competition Bureau request on July 2, 2026 and certified on September 29, 2026 that they had completed their responses. Source
  • FTC Second Request substantially complied: On October 2, 2026, each company certified to the FTC that it had substantially complied with the Second Request described in its July 2026 Form 10-Q. Source
  • No guidance or quarterly calls: The company is not providing financial guidance or hosting quarterly calls, as previously announced because of the pending transaction. Source

Cash and shareholder returns

  • Cash and no long-term debt: Cash and cash equivalents totaled $192.1 million at August 29, 2026, and the company had no long-term debt outstanding. Source
  • Operating cash flow lower: Operating cash flow was $205.3 million in fiscal 2026 against $296.9 million, and capital expenditures were $134.5 million against $154.3 million. Source
  • Buyback of 194,100 shares: The company repurchased 194,100 shares for about $31.7 million in fiscal 2026. It had $8.9 million remaining under its authorization at August 29, 2026. Source
  • Dividends paid up 2.1%: Dividends paid to shareholders totaled $25.2 million in fiscal 2026, an increase of 2.1% from the prior year. Source
  • Transaction cash costs of $22.5 million: Cash paid for transaction-related expenses was $22.5 million in fiscal 2026, against none in fiscal 2025. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Enterprise system project costs rose: Key Initiative costs for fiscal 2026 were $13.3 million, against $6.8 million in fiscal 2025, for the enterprise resource planning project. Source
  • In-house manufacturing described: The company describes itself as manufacturing its own branded workwear, protective clothing and floorcare products in company-owned facilities. Source
  • Acquisitions used $24.6 million: Acquisitions used $24.6 million net of cash acquired in fiscal 2026, against $11.9 million in fiscal 2025. Source

People and leadership

  • Former COO now described: A reconciliation footnote describes Kelly Rooney as the former Chief Operating Officer, after the prior release called her the new Chief Operating Officer. Source
  • Team Partner count lower: The release gives 15,000-plus Team Partners, while the prior release gave 16,000-plus. Source
  • Croatti transition costs noted: A reconciliation footnote also refers to one-time transition costs for Michael Croatti, who moved from his role as Executive Vice President, Operations. Source

Coming up, as management said on 21 October 2026

  • Cintas closing expected by year-end: Management expects the transaction to close before the end of calendar 2026, subject to customary conditions and required approvals. Source
  • No closing before December 11: The companies agreed not to close before December 11, 2026, unless the FTC gives written notice that its investigation has closed. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Service locations Sourcemore than 270
Customer locations Sourceover 300,000
Workers outfitted each day Sourcemore than 2 million

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: The transaction's earliest closing date depends on the FTC timing agreement and on regulatory review by the Canadian Competition Bureau and the FTC. Source
  • Operational: Nuclear segment results depend on seasonality, the timing and length of reactor outages, and project activity. Source
  • Financial: Higher production and healthcare claims expenses partly offset the Uniform segment's lower merchandise and selling costs in the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The company says it stopped providing guidance and quarterly calls, as previously announced, because of the pending transaction. Source
  • Met: Both companies certified on September 29, 2026 that they had completed their responses to the Canadian Competition Bureau request. Source
  • Met: On October 2, 2026, the companies certified to the FTC that they had substantially complied with the Second Request. 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.