US Foods plans to acquire Saladino’s Foodservice

ROSEMONT, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–US Foods Holding Corp. BB #:134354 one of the largest foodservice distributors in the United States, today announced results for the third quarter fiscal year 2023.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2023 Highlights

• Net sales increased 2.1% to $9.1 billion
• Total case volume increased 4.0%; independent restaurant case volume increased 5.8%
• Gross profit increased 5.6% to $1.5 billion
• Net income available to common shareholders was $95 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 14.5% to $402 million
• Diluted EPS decreased 11.6% to $0.38; Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 16.7% to $0.70

Nine Month Fiscal 2023 Highlights

• Net sales increased 4.4% to $26.7 billion
• Total case volume increased 4.0%; independent restaurant case volume increased 6.1%
• Gross profit increased 12.9% to $4.6 billion
• Net income available to common shareholders was $352 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 22.0% to $1.2 billion
• Diluted EPS increased 123.4% to $1.43; Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 25.2% to $1.99

“Our strong third quarter and year-to-date earnings are a result of continued growth and market share gains in our target customer types, the operational efficiencies we have achieved over the last few quarters, and the dedication of our 29,000 associates, who relentlessly focus on delivering best-in-class service to our customers and executing our strategic long-range plan initiatives,” said Dave Flitman, CEO. “We drove strong case volume growth in our target customer types again this quarter, with volume increasing nearly 6% for independent restaurants, 8% for healthcare and 6% for hospitality. Building on our differentiated team-based selling model, industry-leading technology suite and strong momentum, our team delivered the tenth consecutive quarter of market share gains with independent restaurants. Importantly, we accelerated our market share gains in the third quarter with independent restaurants despite a slowing macro environment.”

Flitman continued, “Finally, we are excited to announce that we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Saladino’s Foodservice BB #:154946, our second tuck-in acquisition this year and look forward to welcoming the Saladino’s team to US Foods, adding improved scale as we continue to enhance our position with new and existing customers in central California. As we move toward 2024, we are laser focused on delivering our strategy to grow market share and margins, while we effectively deploy capital to deliver compounded shareholder value over the long term.”

“The execution of our strategy is driving sustainable operating leverage gains as we delivered strong Adjusted EBITDA growth again this quarter,” added Dirk Locascio, CFO. “Adjusted EBITDA grew 15% and we expanded Adjusted EBITDA margin by 50 basis points. Additionally, we remain disciplined in prudently deploying our strong and growing free cash flow during the quarter, prepaying additional debt, executing opportunistic share repurchases and further reducing net leverage to 2.9x, in-line with our target leverage range. Following strong financial results and continued effective execution of our strategy, we are raising our Adjusted EBITDA guidance for fiscal 2023 to a range of $1.54 billion to $1.56 billion.”

Third Quarter Fiscal 2023 Results
Net sales were $9.1 billion for the quarter, an increase of 2.1% from the prior year, driven by case volume growth, partially offset by food cost deflation of 1.3%. Total case volume increased 4.0% from the prior year driven by a 5.8% increase in independent restaurant case volume, a 7.7% increase in healthcare volume and a 5.8% increase in hospitality volume, offset by a 3.6% decrease in chain volume. Independent restaurant case growth was negatively impacted by 0.8% from slower growth in CHEF’STORE.

Gross profit was $1.5 billion, an increase of 5.6% from the prior year, primarily as a result of an increase in total case volume and cost of goods sold optimization, partially offset by an unfavorable year-over-year LIFO adjustment. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 16.9%. Adjusted Gross profit was $1.6 billion, a 7.7% increase from the prior year. Adjusted Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 17.3% and adjusted Gross profit per case continued at strong levels.

Operating expenses of $1.3 billion increased by $66 million, or 5.3% from the prior year. Operating expenses increased primarily due to increased total case volume and higher seller compensation costs, partially offset by lower distribution cost per case from cost savings initiatives including routing improvements and focused efforts positively impacting labor turnover and productivity as well as lower fuel costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of Net sales were 14.4%. Adjusted Operating expenses for the quarter were $1.2 billion, an increase of $58 million or 5.2% from the prior year due to the aforementioned factors. Adjusted Operating expenses as a percent of net sales were 12.9%.

Net income available to common shareholders was $95 million, a decrease of $5 million compared to the prior year, driven by an increase in operating income that was more than offset by a loss on extinguishment of debt and an increase in interest expense. Adjusted EBITDA was $402 million, an increase of $51 million or 14.5%, compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 4.4%, an increase of 48 basis points compared to the prior year. Diluted EPS was $0.38; Adjusted Diluted EPS was $0.70.

Nine Month Fiscal 2023 Results
Net sales were $26.7 billion for the first nine months of 2023, an increase of 4.4% from the prior year, driven by case volume growth and food cost inflation of 0.6%. Total case volume increased 4.0% from the prior year driven by a 6.1% increase in independent restaurant volume, a 6.8% increase in healthcare volume and a 9.9% increase in hospitality volume, partially offset by a 2.7% decrease in chain volume. Independent restaurant case growth was negatively impacted by 0.8% from slower growth in CHEF’STORE.

Gross profit was $4.6 billion, an increase of 12.9% from the prior year primarily as a result of an increase in total case volume, cost of goods sold optimization, increased freight income from improved inbound logistics, optimized pricing and a favorable year-over-year LIFO adjustment. Gross profit as a percentage of Net sales was 17.1%. Adjusted Gross profit was $4.6 billion, a 10.0% increase from the prior year. Adjusted Gross profit as a percentage of Net sales was 17.3%.

Operating expenses of $3.8 billion increased $179 million, or 4.9% from the prior year. Operating expenses increased primarily due to increased total case volume and higher seller compensation costs, partially offset by lower distribution cost per case from cost savings initiatives including routing improvements and focused efforts positively impacting labor turnover and productivity as well as lower fuel costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of Net sales were 14.3%. Adjusted Operating expenses for the first nine months of 2023 were $3.4 billion, an increase of $196 million or 6.1% from the prior year due to the aforementioned factors. Adjusted Operating expenses as a percent of Net sales were 12.9%.

Net income available to common shareholders was $352 million, an increase of $207 million compared to the prior year, driven by an increase in operating income that was partially offset by an increase in interest expense and a loss on extinguishment of debt. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.2 billion, an increase of $211 million or 22.0%, compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 4.4%, an increase of 63 basis points compared to the prior year. Diluted EPS was $1.43; Adjusted Diluted EPS was $1.99.

Cash Flow and Debt
Cash flow provided by operating activities for the first nine months of fiscal 2023 was $935 million, an increase of $322 million from the prior year due to earnings growth and strong working capital management. Cash capital expenditures for the nine months of fiscal 2023 totaled $167 million, a decrease of $34 million from the prior year period, and related to investments in information technology, property and equipment for fleet replacement and maintenance of distribution facilities.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company used cash-on-hand to make a $60 million voluntary prepayment on the 2019 Incremental Term Loan Facility. Additionally, the Company repaid all of the then outstanding borrowings under its Secured Senior Notes due 2025, using proceeds from the issuance of Unsecured Senior Notes due 2028 and Unsecured Senior Notes due 2032, along with cash on hand. Furthermore, the Company amended its loan agreement on the 2021 Incremental Term Loan Facility to lower the interest rate margins by 25 basis points.

Net Debt at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023 was $4.3 billion. The ratio of Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA was 2.9x at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023, compared to 3.5x at the end of fiscal 2022 and 3.7x at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2022.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company repurchased 0.7 million shares of common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $29 million. The Company has approximately $257 million in remaining funds authorized under its $500 million share repurchase program.

M&A Update
Subsequent to quarter-end, the Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Saladino’s Foodservice, an independently owned broadline distributor based in central California, with approximately $600 million in annual revenue and more than 4,000 customers.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company acquired Renzi Foodservice, a broadline distributor in New York for a purchase price of $142 million. The acquisition, which was funded with cash from operations, will allow the Company to further expand its reach into central upstate New York.

Outlook for Fiscal Year 2023¹
The Company is updating its previously announced fiscal year 2023 guidance to:

• Adjusted EBITDA of $1.54-$1.56 billion, compared to previous guidance of $1.51-$1.54 billion
• Adjusted Diluted EPS of $2.60-$2.70, compared to previous guidance of $2.55-$2.65
• Interest expense of $320-$325 million
• Total capital expenditures of $410-$430 million, consisting of $290-$310 million of cash capital expenditures and ~$120 million of fleet capital leases
• Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA leverage below 3.0x by end of fiscal year 2023

Conference Call and Webcast Information
US Foods will host a live webcast to discuss third quarter fiscal 2023 results on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 8 a.m. CST. The call can also be accessed live over the phone by dialing (877) 344-2001; the conference passcode is 2528845. The presentation slides reviewed during the webcast will be available shortly before the webcast begins. The webcast, slides and a copy of this press release can be found in the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.usfoods.com.

About US Foods
With a promise to help its customers Make It, US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 70 broadline locations and more than 85 cash and carry stores, US Foods and its 29,000 associates provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. Visit www.usfoods.com to learn more.