US Foods (NYSE:USFD) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

US Foods (NYSE:USFD) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. US Foods had a return on equity of 18.74% and a net margin of 1.71%.The firm had revenue of $9.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. US Foods updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.696-4.935 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from US Foods’ conference call:

• US Foods reported a strong 2025 with adjusted EBITDA up 11% to over $1.9 billion, adjusted EPS up 26% to $3.98, and a record adjusted EBITDA margin of 4.9%, driven by operating leverage and productivity initiatives.
• The company is gaining share across target segments — independent restaurants, healthcare, and hospitality — with independent case volume +4.1% in Q4 and its Pronto small-truck service now live in 46 markets and generating over $1 billion in sales.
• Margin and cost initiatives are accelerating: >$150M in 2025 cost-of-goods savings (management now targets at least $300M over the three-year plan), ~$40M benefit from improved inventory management, and ~$45M in indirect cost savings with more to come.
• Near-term demand headwinds and disruptions — notably a government shutdown, winter storms and severe Q1 weather — pressured chain traffic (chain volumes down ~3.4% in Q4) and are expected to depress Q1 results (upper-single-digit EBITDA growth), adding short-term execution risk.
• Strong capital allocation and credit profile — repurchased ~$934M of stock in 2025 with ~$1.1B repurchase authorization remaining, completed tuck-in M&A, ended year at 2.7x net leverage, and received a one-notch Moody’s upgrade to Ba1.

US Foods Stock Down 2.0%

NYSE:USFD traded down $2.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.92. The company had a trading volume of 4,353,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,213,024. US Foods has a 1 year low of $57.36 and a 1 year high of $102.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $78.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.99, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on USFD shares. Piper Sandler lowered shares of US Foods from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $103.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of US Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of US Foods in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $111.00 target price on US Foods and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded US Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, US Foods has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On US Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in US Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at $526,000. Blair William & Co. IL purchased a new position in US Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $214,000. Boston Family Office LLC purchased a new position in US Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. Certuity LLC acquired a new stake in shares of US Foods during the third quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of US Foods during the second quarter worth about $252,000. 98.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about US Foods

Here are the key news stories impacting US Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and strong profit metrics — US Foods reported $1.04 EPS vs. a $1.01 consensus and showed meaningful YoY improvement in net income and adjusted EBITDA, supporting the company’s profitability narrative. US Foods Q4 earnings / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance raised — Management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance at $4.696–$4.935, above the consensus (~$4.56), which supports longer‑term earnings upside. FY2026 guidance / Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target upgrades — Citigroup raised its PT to $118 (Buy) and Wells Fargo to $110 (Overweight), signaling institutional confidence in upside from current levels. Benzinga: Analyst price target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary — Several transcripts, summaries and analyst notes are available (earnings call transcript, slide deck, and third‑party commentary), useful for drilling into unit/margin detail and channel trends. Seeking Alpha: Earnings presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and softer top‑line outlook — Q4 revenue came in at $9.80B vs. ~$9.90B expected, and management’s FY revenue guidance ($41.0B–$41.8B) is below the consensus (~$42B). That top‑line softness is the likely driver of intra‑day weakness despite the EPS beat. Revenue miss / MarketBeat

US Foods Company Profile

US Foods (NYSE: USFD) is a leading foodservice distributor in the United States that supplies a wide range of products and services to professional food operators. The company provides fresh, frozen and dry food items as well as non-food restaurant supplies and kitchen equipment. Its customer base includes independent restaurants, multi-unit chains, healthcare and senior living facilities, hospitality businesses, government and educational institutions, and other foodservice operators.

Beyond commodity and branded food products, US Foods offers value-added solutions designed to help customers run their businesses.