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Vital Farms, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net revenue fell 10.1%: Volume decline of $19.8 million, excluding excess breaker and wholesale sales, was partly offset by a $1.1 million price/mix benefit. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA swung to a loss: Adjusted net loss was $20.0 million, or $0.47 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA margin was negative 16.0%. Source
  • Breaker sales added volume at lower prices: Egg oversupply drove the excess sales, which moved volume into lower-priced channels. Their gross profit effect is covered under costs. Source
  • Category prices fell more than 35%: The CEO cited the category price decline alongside the company's share gain as evidence of brand loyalty. Source
  • Gross margin fell to 6.6%: Higher input and production costs and unfavorable sales mix drove the gross profit decline, according to the release. Source
  • Breaker sales cut gross profit: The company named egg inventory oversupply as the cause of the unfavorable mix effect on gross profit. Source
  • Cash and debt at quarter end: Cash and marketable securities were lower than the $51.4 million reported at the end of the first quarter. Source

“Our second quarter results reflect the industry-wide oversupply and price gap pressure we described on our first quarter call, and these results are not what we aspire to deliver.”

Russell Diez-Canseco, Vital Farms’ Executive Chairperson, President, and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net revenue Sourcefiscal 2026$775 million to $800 millionKept
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefiscal 2026$0 to $10 millionKept
Cost to manage egg oversupply, within adjusted EBITDA Sourcefiscal 2026mid-$30 million rangeRaised from approximately $32 million
Capital expenditures Sourcefiscal 2026$70 million to $75 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Management reiterated fiscal 2026 net revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance. Source
  • Guidance raised: Expected cost of managing egg oversupply rose to the mid-$30 million range from approximately $32 million, with adjusted EBITDA guidance kept. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year capital expenditure range was kept at the level set in the first-quarter release. Source
  • New: Company closed a new term loan and an asset-based lending facility, replacing its previous revolving credit facility. Source
  • New: Voluntary contract amendments were executed with farmer partners to reduce supply. Source
  • Ended: Board terminated the stock repurchase program on August 3, 2026, under the new lending facilities. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net revenue fell 10.1%: Volume decline of $19.8 million, excluding excess breaker and wholesale sales, was partly offset by a $1.1 million price/mix benefit. Source
  • Net loss against prior-year profit: Net loss was $0.72 per diluted share, against net income of $0.36 a year earlier. Loss from operations was $40.1 million, against income of $23.8 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA swung to a loss: Adjusted net loss was $20.0 million, or $0.47 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA margin was negative 16.0%. Source

Segments and channels

  • Retail carried most net revenue: Retail channel accounted for most of second-quarter net revenue, while excess breaker and wholesale sales made up a smaller share. Source
  • Breaker sales added volume at lower prices: Egg oversupply drove the excess sales, which moved volume into lower-priced channels. Their gross profit effect is covered under costs. Source
  • Retail price gaps narrowed by geography: Price action was taken market by market rather than across the whole footprint, according to the CEO. Source

“We have moved with urgency and discipline, and the results are showing up where they matter most: in the marketplace.”

Russell Diez-Canseco, Vital Farms’ Executive Chairperson, President, and CEO

Shell egg pricing and demand

  • Category prices fell more than 35%: The CEO cited the category price decline alongside the company's share gain as evidence of brand loyalty. Source
  • Supply and demand now balanced: Management described supply and demand projections as balanced heading into the third quarter, which underpins the recovery plan. Source
  • Volume growth return assumed in second half: This assumption is the volume element of the full-year net revenue guidance, tied to price investment and distribution gains. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin fell to 6.6%: Higher input and production costs and unfavorable sales mix drove the gross profit decline, according to the release. Source
  • Breaker sales cut gross profit: The company named egg inventory oversupply as the cause of the unfavorable mix effect on gross profit. Source
  • Supply and discrete costs totaled $28.1M: The total includes the breaker effect, $0.8 million of farmer contract amendment amortization and butter exit costs. Management said underlying gross margin was meaningfully more favorable excluding these items. Source
  • Operating expenses rose on SG&A: SG&A was $40.4 million against $39.0 million, and shipping and distribution was $10.7 million against $9.0 million. Source

“The disciplined execution of our plan since then gives us confidence in reaffirming our full-year 2026 guidance.”

Thilo Wrede, Vital Farms’ Chief Financial Officer

Cash, capital and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash use of $45.9M: Operating cash flow was a use for the 26 weeks; the net change in operating assets and liabilities was a $30.0 million use. Source
  • Capital spending higher than last year: Capital spending was higher than in the same 26 weeks last year. The full-year range is listed under guidance. Source
  • Cash and debt at quarter end: Cash and marketable securities were lower than the $51.4 million reported at the end of the first quarter. Source
  • Early-quarter buybacks of $15.0M: The first-quarter buyback totaled $20.0 million for 1,001,747 shares at an average of $19.97. Source
  • Board committed to disciplined allocation: The board and management said they remain committed to disciplined capital allocation and will keep evaluating options for stockholder value. Source

Strategy, investment and butter exit

  • Restructuring and butter exit costs added back: Adjusted EBITDA excluded these amounts. The butter exit was described as previously announced; restructuring is new this quarter. Source
  • Capital pace slowed at VXR and farms: Management said the slower pace aligns capacity additions with demand at the Seymour facility and accelerator farms. Source
  • Lower overhead supports second-half margin: Management said lower fixed overhead and right-sized supply position the company for margin recovery in the second half. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 August 2026

  • Retail mix shift and distribution gains: Management pointed to a shift in sales mix back toward retail and distribution gains building over the year. Source
  • Butter wind-down due by fiscal year-end: The first-quarter release set completion of the butter wind-down by the end of fiscal 2026.

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Stores selling Vital Farms products Sourcemore than 24,000 stores nationwide
Small farms in network Sourcemore than 625

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management described pricing as the most difficult the category has seen in years, amid industry oversupply. Source
  • Demand: Guidance assumes competitive activity does not intensify further. Source
  • Operational: Guidance assumes no further material supply chain disruption affecting suppliers, customers or consumers. Source
  • Financial: The company tied the buyback termination to terms in its new lending facilities. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the first-quarter expectation that the impact would concentrate in the second quarter held. Source
  • Not stated: Management said the team has been executing the recovery plan described last quarter and is seeing evidence it works. Source
  • Not stated: Butter exit costs are linked to the wind-down that was announced earlier. 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.