Hillman Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results; Updates Full-Year Outlook
Quarterly sales and cash generation increased, while profit fell and net debt rose following acquisition financing.
Sentiment and the balance of points
Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.
Rhea-AI Summary
Hillman Solutions (Nasdaq: HLMN) reported third-quarter 2026 net sales of $457.5 million, up 7.7% from the prior-year quarter. Net income fell to $6.3 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, from $23.2 million, or $0.12. Adjusted diluted earnings per share remained $0.22. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP earnings measure, rose to $90.2 million from $88.0 million. Operating cash flow increased to $69.9 million from $26.2 million.
Hillman completed its Kanebridge acquisition and closed a $200 million add-on term loan for the purchase. Net debt reached $932.6 million at September 26, versus $665.8 million at December 27, 2025. Hillman lowered its full-year sales outlook to $1.660–$1.680 billion from $1.670–$1.720 billion, while maintaining guidance for approximately $285 million in adjusted EBITDA and $105–$115 million in free cash flow, both non-GAAP measures.
How this balance works
Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.
It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.
Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.
Hollow bars mark forward-looking points. How the balance works
Positive
- Major pointKanebridge acquisition completed, adding an industrial fastener distributor.
- Major pointRefinancing secured a $735 million term loan and $375 million revolving credit facility.
- Moderate pointQ3 net sales increased 7.7% to $457.5 million from $424.9 million a year earlier.
- Moderate pointQ3 adjusted EBITDA rose to $90.2 million from $88.0 million a year earlier.
- Moderate pointQ3 operating cash flow increased to $69.9 million from $26.2 million a year earlier.
- Moderate pointQ3 free cash flow increased to $51.1 million from $9.1 million a year earlier.
- Moderate pointKanebridge acquisition funding included a closed $200 million add-on term loan. 12% of market cap
9 minor points
- Minor pointAvailable liquidity totaled $343.1 million at September 26, including $308.0 million of revolving borrowing capacity.
- Minor pointQ3 repurchases totaled $5.0 million: approximately 0.6 million shares at an average $7.75 per share.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.FY 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance remains approximately $285 million.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.FY 2026 free cash flow guidance remains $105–$115 million.
- Minor pointNine-month net sales rose to $1,269.812 million from $1,187.085 million a year earlier.
- Minor pointNine-month operating cash flow rose to $138.347 million from $74.289 million a year earlier.
- Minor pointNine-month capital expenditures declined to $51.390 million from $55.347 million a year earlier.
- Minor pointQ3 net interest expense declined to $14.338 million from $14.692 million a year earlier.
- Minor pointNine-month net interest expense declined to $40.385 million from $43.044 million a year earlier.
Negative
- Major point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.FY 2026 sales guidance lowered to $1.660–$1.680 billion from $1.670–$1.720 billion.
- Major pointNine-month business acquisition cash outflow, net of cash received, totaled $314.503 million. 19% of market cap
- Moderate pointQ3 net income fell to $6.3 million from $23.2 million; diluted EPS declined to $0.03 from $0.12.
- Moderate pointQ3 operating income declined to $37.889 million from $45.904 million a year earlier.
- Moderate pointGross debt increased to $967.7 million at September 26 from $693.1 million at December 27, 2025.
- Moderate pointNet debt increased to $932.6 million at September 26 from $665.8 million at December 27, 2025.
- Moderate pointNet debt relative to trailing adjusted EBITDA rose to 3.4x from 2.4x at December 27, 2025.
3 minor points
- Minor pointQ3 refinancing costs totaled $13.505 million, versus none a year earlier.
- Minor pointNine-month net income fell to $22.679 million from $38.707 million; diluted EPS fell to $0.11 from $0.19.
- Minor pointNine-month operating income declined to $86.036 million from $97.236 million a year earlier.
News Explained
The completed buyback used five million dollars to repurchase about six hundred thousand common shares.
Hillman reports it completed a refinancing of its existing credit facilities, comprising a
The company also completed a repurchase of approximately
Details
Market move: HLMN -10.01% vs previous close. Q3 2026 earnings report
On Nov 2, the day this news came out, the latest delayed price for HLMN is 10.01% below the previous close. Our momentum scanner has recorded 46 alerts for this stock so far that day. The latest delayed price is $7.55.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus (15 min delayed). Upgrade to Gold for real-time data.
Key Figures
- Q3 net sales
- $457.5 million; +7.7%
- Q3 2026, compared with $424.9 million in the prior-year quarter
- Q3 net income
- $6.3 million
- Q3 2026, compared with $23.2 million in the prior-year quarter
- Adjusted diluted EPS
- $0.22 per diluted share
- Q3 2026; unchanged from the prior-year quarter
- Adjusted EBITDA
- $90.2 million
- Q3 2026, compared with $88.0 million in the prior-year quarter
- Free cash flow
- $51.1 million
- Q3 2026, compared with $9.1 million in the prior-year quarter
- FY 2026 net sales guidance
- $1.660–$1.680 billion
- Updated from $1.670–$1.720 billion
- FY 2026 Adjusted EBITDA guidance
- ~$285 million
- Updated guidance; unchanged from previous guidance
- FY 2026 free cash flow guidance
- $105–$115 million
- Updated guidance; unchanged from previous guidance
Previous Earnings Reports
-
Q2 results raised full-year net sales guidance to $1.670–$1.720 billion.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
diluted eps financial
term loan b financial
asset-based revolving credit facility financial
non-gaap financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Q3 2026 Net Sales increased
Reiterates FY 2026 Adj. EBITDA and Free Cash Flow guidance; updates Net Sales outlook
CINCINNATI, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hillman Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq: HLMN) (the “Company” or “Hillman”), a leading provider of hardware and related products, reported financial results for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 26, 2026.
Third Quarter 2026 Highlights (Thirteen weeks ended September 26, 2026)
- Net sales increased
7.7% to$457.5 million compared to$424.9 million in the prior year quarter
- Net income totaled
$6.3 million , or$0.03 per diluted share, compared to$23.2 million , or$0.12 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter
- Adjusted diluted EPS1 totaled
$0.22 per diluted share compared to$0.22 in the prior year quarter
- Adjusted EBITDA1 increased to
$90.2 million compared to$88.0 million in the prior year quarter
- Net cash provided by operating activities increased to
$69.9 million compared to$26.2 million in the prior year quarter
- Free Cash Flow1 increased to
$51.1 million compared to$9.1 million in the prior year quarter
- Repurchased approximately 0.6 million shares of its common stock at an average price of
$7.75 per share, which totaled$5.0 million
- Completed the acquisition of Kanebridge, a leading master distributor of industrial fasteners
Balance Sheet and Liquidity at September 26, 2026
- Successfully refinanced its existing credit facilities, consisting of a new
$735 million senior secured term loan B and a$375 million asset-based revolving credit facility; closed a$200 million add-on term loan B for the Kanebridge acquisition
- Gross debt was
$967.7 million compared to$693.1 million on December 27, 2025
- Net debt1 was
$932.6 million compared to$665.8 million on December 27, 2025
- Liquidity available totaled
$343.1 million ; consisting of$308.0 million of available borrowing under the revolving credit facility and$35.1 million of cash and equivalents
- Net debt1 to trailing twelve month Adjusted EBITDA was 3.4x at quarter end compared to 2.4x on December 27, 2025
Management Commentary
“The third quarter reflects the continued execution of Hillman’s Blueprint for Strategic Growth,” commented Hillman's CEO, Jon Michael Adinolfi. “We continue to deliver net sales growth and strong free cash flow generation that give us the flexibility to invest into attractive opportunities, like our high-margin Robotics and Digital Solutions segment - which had a great quarter, up
“We are winning in Pro, where our channel relationships, sourcing agility, and field sales team are driving new business wins. The Kanebridge acquisition, which is off to a great start, accelerates that momentum, establishing our position as a long-tail master distributor in the U.S. industrial market.”
“Given our performance through the first nine months, we are reaffirming our full-year Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow guidance while narrowing down our net sales range, given the macro environment. As we look to the rest of 2026 and beyond, we are well positioned to drive growth and create long-term value for our shareholders.”
Full Year 2026 Guidance - Updated
Based on year-to-date performance and its expectations for the remainder of the year, management updated its guidance most recently provided on August 3, 2026.
| Previous FY 2026 Guidance | Updated FY 2026 Guidance | |
| Net Sales | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA1 | ~ | ~ |
| Free Cash Flow1 | ||
| 1) Denotes Non-GAAP metric. For additional information, including our definitions, use of, and reconciliations of these metrics to the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP, please see the reconciliations toward the end of the press release. | ||
Third Quarter 2026 Results Presentation
Hillman plans to host a conference call and webcast presentation on November 3, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its results. President and Chief Executive Officer Jon Michael Adinolfi and Chief Financial Officer Rocky Kraft will host the results presentation.
Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Listen-Only Webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/diivckgp
A webcast replay will be available approximately one hour after the conclusion of the call using the link above.
Hillman’s quarterly presentation and Form 10-Q are expected to be filed with the SEC and posted to its Investor Relations website, https://ir.hillmangroup.com, prior to the webcast presentation.
About Hillman Solutions Corp.
Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Hillman is a leading provider of hardware and related products serving retail, pro distribution, and industrial customers. Over the last 60-plus years, Hillman has built a legacy of service and growth by forming strategic partnerships with North America’s leading home improvement, hardware, and farm and fleet retailers. Hillman differentiates itself from the competition with its dedicated field sales team of 1,200+ associates, direct-to-store distribution capabilities, and world class global sourcing and supply chain expertise. The company offers an extensive product portfolio of over 150,000 SKUs, including fasteners (power screws, nuts, and bolts), hardware (builder’s hardware, door locks, rope & chain, accessories), project gear & supplies (gloves, work gear, paint & cleaning sundries), and key and engraving services (key duplication, auto keys, and engraving). Hillman is committed to delivering exceptional customer service, innovative products, and dependable solutions to its customers and regularly earns vendor of the year recognition from top customers. For more information on Hillman, visit www.hillman.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements made in this press release that are considered to be forward-looking are made in good faith by the Company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” “goal,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) unfavorable economic conditions that may affect our and our customers’, suppliers’ and other business partners’ operations, financial condition and cash flows including spending on home renovation or construction projects, inflation, recessions, instability in the financial markets or credit markets; (2) increased supply chain costs, including tariffs, raw materials, sourcing, transportation and energy; (3) the highly competitive nature of the markets that we serve; (4) the ability to continue to innovate with new products and services; (5) seasonality; (6) large customer concentration; (7) the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; (8) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (9) adverse changes in currency exchange rates; or (10) regulatory changes and potential legislation that could adversely impact financial results. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should also refer to those risks that are included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 17, 2026. Given these uncertainties, current or prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements.
Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this communication to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Contact:
Michael Koehler
Vice President – Corporate Development, Investor Relations, Treasury
513-826-5495
IR@hillmangroup.com
HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Net Income, GAAP Basis
(dollars in thousands) Unaudited
| Thirteen Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirteen Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 457,488 | $ | 424,939 | $ | 1,269,812 | $ | 1,187,085 | ||||||||
| Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) | 225,203 | 205,378 | 660,861 | 604,456 | ||||||||||||
| Selling, warehouse, general and administrative expenses | 157,896 | 138,342 | 416,450 | 381,101 | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 22,308 | 20,100 | 66,842 | 59,343 | ||||||||||||
| Amortization | 15,649 | 15,265 | 46,148 | 45,937 | ||||||||||||
| Other income, net | (1,457 | ) | (50 | ) | (6,525 | ) | (988 | ) | ||||||||
| Income from operations | 37,889 | 45,904 | 86,036 | 97,236 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | 14,338 | 14,692 | 40,385 | 43,044 | ||||||||||||
| Refinancing costs | 13,505 | — | 13,505 | 906 | ||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 10,046 | 31,212 | 32,146 | 53,286 | ||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 3,755 | 8,020 | 9,467 | 14,579 | ||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 6,291 | $ | 23,192 | $ | 22,679 | $ | 38,707 | ||||||||
| Basic income per share | $ | 0.03 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.20 | ||||||||
| Weighted average basic shares outstanding | 194,826 | 197,754 | 195,779 | 197,544 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted income per share | $ | 0.03 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.19 | ||||||||
| Weighted average diluted shares outstanding | 196,058 | 199,849 | 197,349 | 199,454 | ||||||||||||
HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(dollars in thousands)
Unaudited
| September 26, 2026 | December 27, 2025 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 35,078 | $ | 27,276 | ||||
| Accounts receivable, net of allowances of | 168,151 | 114,926 | ||||||
| Inventories, net | 479,310 | 485,938 | ||||||
| Other current assets | 20,724 | 18,342 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 703,263 | 646,482 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of 2025) | 230,229 | 231,482 | ||||||
| Goodwill | 936,011 | 830,747 | ||||||
| Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of | 658,024 | 546,171 | ||||||
| Operating lease right of use assets | 105,355 | 75,152 | ||||||
| Other assets | 36,998 | 26,160 | ||||||
| Total assets | $ | 2,669,880 | $ | 2,356,194 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 149,298 | $ | 141,662 | ||||
| Current portion of debt and financing lease liabilities | 16,292 | 14,830 | ||||||
| Current portion of operating lease liabilities | 21,414 | 17,947 | ||||||
| Accrued expenses: | ||||||||
| Salaries and wages | 16,106 | 35,790 | ||||||
| Pricing allowances | 14,255 | 8,098 | ||||||
| Income and other taxes | 9,014 | 9,466 | ||||||
| Other accrued liabilities | 44,567 | 29,766 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 270,946 | 257,559 | ||||||
| Long-term debt | 940,512 | 668,337 | ||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 129,529 | 131,870 | ||||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 90,328 | 63,459 | ||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | 5,702 | 6,462 | ||||||
| Total liabilities | $ | 1,437,017 | $ | 1,127,687 | ||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) | ||||||||
| Stockholders' equity: | ||||||||
| Common stock: and 194,358,288 issued and outstanding in 2026, respectively, and 197,857,100 and 196,487,532 shares issued and outstanding in 2025, respectively | 20 | 20 | ||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost, 4,971,526 shares in 2026 and 1,369,568 shares in 2025 | (40,774 | ) | (12,423 | ) | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,469,227 | 1,457,422 | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (155,967 | ) | (178,646 | ) | ||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (39,643 | ) | (37,866 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders' equity | 1,232,863 | 1,228,507 | ||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ | 2,669,880 | $ | 2,356,194 | ||||
HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
(dollars in thousands)
Unaudited
| Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 22,679 | $ | 38,707 | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 112,990 | 105,280 | ||||||
| Deferred income taxes | (4,056 | ) | 9,791 | |||||
| Deferred financing and original issue discount amortization | 1,397 | 3,767 | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 11,727 | 10,739 | ||||||
| Loss on debt restructuring, net of third party fees paid | 1,488 | — | ||||||
| Gain on acquisition, net of tax | (5,214 | ) | — | |||||
| Gain on disposal of property and equipment | 112 | (135 | ) | |||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | (489 | ) | (500 | ) | ||||
| Changes in operating items: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | (38,772 | ) | (34,721 | ) | ||||
| Inventories, net | 62,269 | (53,925 | ) | |||||
| Other assets | (12,183 | ) | (19,691 | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable | 3,563 | 22,575 | ||||||
| Accrued salaries and wages | (19,648 | ) | (1,217 | ) | ||||
| Other accrued expenses | 2,484 | (6,381 | ) | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 138,347 | 74,289 | ||||||
| Net cash from investing activities | ||||||||
| Acquisition of business, net of cash received | (314,503 | ) | — | |||||
| Capital expenditures | (51,390 | ) | (55,347 | ) | ||||
| Other investing activities | (145 | ) | (154 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used for investing activities | (366,038 | ) | (55,501 | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Repayments of senior term loans | (636,960 | ) | (6,384 | ) | ||||
| Borrowings on senior term loans | 935,000 | — | ||||||
| Financing fees | (3,751 | ) | — | |||||
| Borrowings on revolving credit loans | 203,645 | 109,000 | ||||||
| Repayments of revolving credit loans | (230,617 | ) | (122,000 | ) | ||||
| Principal payments under finance lease obligations | (4,963 | ) | (4,156 | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from exercise of stock options | 2,392 | 1,177 | ||||||
| Repurchases of common stock | (28,351 | ) | (3,165 | ) | ||||
| Payments of contingent consideration | (207 | ) | (199 | ) | ||||
| Other financing activities | (587 | ) | 142 | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities | 235,601 | (25,585 | ) | |||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | (108 | ) | 18 | |||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 7,802 | (6,779 | ) | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | 27,276 | 44,510 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 35,078 | $ | 37,731 | ||||
Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the Most Directly Comparable GAAP Financial Measures
The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures to analyze underlying business performance and trends. The Company believes that providing these non-GAAP financial measures enhances the Company’s and investors’ ability to compare the Company’s past financial performance with its current performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as supplemental information to the financial measures presented in this press release that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures determined or calculated in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s definitions of its non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Because GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are not accessible, and reconciling information is not available without unreasonable effort, reconciliations to GAAP financial measures are not provided for forward-looking non-GAAP measures. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.
Non-GAAP financial measures such as consolidated adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share (EPS) exclude from the relevant GAAP metrics items that neither relate to the ordinary course of the Company’s business, nor reflect the Company’s underlying business performance.
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited)
(dollars in thousands)
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is the primary basis used to measure the operational strength and performance of our businesses as well as to assist in the evaluation of underlying trends in our businesses. This measure eliminates the significant level of noncash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our businesses and from intangible assets recognized in business combinations. It is also unaffected by our capital and tax structures, as our management excludes these results when evaluating our operating performance. Our management use this financial measure to evaluate our consolidated operating performance and the operating performance of our operating segments as well as to allocate resources and capital to our operating segments. Additionally, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing our operating performance with that of other companies in our industries, although our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies.
| Thirteen Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirteen Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 6,291 | $ | 23,192 | $ | 22,679 | $ | 38,707 | ||||||||
| Income tax expense | 3,755 | 8,020 | 9,467 | 14,579 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | 14,338 | 14,692 | 40,385 | 43,044 | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation | 22,308 | 20,100 | 66,842 | 59,343 | ||||||||||||
| Amortization | 15,649 | 15,265 | 46,148 | 45,937 | ||||||||||||
| EBITDA | $ | 62,341 | $ | 81,269 | $ | 185,521 | $ | 201,610 | ||||||||
| Stock compensation expense | 4,365 | 3,904 | 11,727 | 10,739 | ||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other (1) | 1,469 | 749 | 2,903 | 2,860 | ||||||||||||
| Litigation expense (2) | — | 1,950 | — | 1,950 | ||||||||||||
| Transaction and integration expense (3) | 8,610 | 87 | 4,221 | 215 | ||||||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | (137 | ) | 67 | (489 | ) | (500 | ) | |||||||||
| Refinancing costs (4) | 13,505 | — | 13,505 | 906 | ||||||||||||
| Total adjusting items | 27,812 | 6,757 | 31,867 | 16,170 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 90,153 | $ | 88,026 | $ | 217,388 | $ | 217,780 | ||||||||
| (1) | Includes consulting and other costs associated with severance related to our distribution center relocations and corporate restructuring activities. | |||||||||||||||
| (2) | Litigation expense includes an accrual for the preliminary settlement of a California wage-hour class action / Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claim. | |||||||||||||||
| (3) | Transaction and integration expense includes professional fees and other costs related to acquisition activity, including the acquisitions of Campbell Chain and Fittings and Delaney Hardware in the second quarter of 2026, and the Kanebridge acquisition in the third quarter. Also included is a | |||||||||||||||
| (4) | In July of 2026 we entered into a new Term Loan B consisting of a | |||||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
(in thousands, except per share data)
Unaudited
We define Adjusted Diluted EPS as reported diluted EPS excluding the effect of one-time, non-recurring activity and volatility associated with our income tax expense. The Company believes that Adjusted Diluted EPS provides further insight and comparability in operating performance as it eliminates the effects of certain items that are not comparable from one period to the next. The following is a reconciliation of reported diluted EPS from continuing operations to Adjusted Diluted EPS from continuing operations:
| Thirteen Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirteen Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| Reconciliation to Adjusted Net Income | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net Income | $ | 6,291 | $ | 23,192 | $ | 22,679 | $ | 38,707 | ||||||||||
| Remove adjusting items (1) | 27,812 | 6,757 | 31,867 | 16,170 | ||||||||||||||
| Remove amortization expense | 15,649 | 15,265 | 46,148 | 45,937 | ||||||||||||||
| Remove tax benefit on adjusting items and amortization expense (2) | (7,424 | ) | (1,967 | ) | (10,031 | ) | (4,864 | ) | ||||||||||
| Adjusted Net Income | $ | 42,328 | $ | 43,247 | $ | 90,663 | $ | 95,950 | ||||||||||
| Reconciliation to Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share | ||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted Earnings per Share | $ | 0.03 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.19 | ||||||||||
| Remove adjusting items (1) | 0.14 | 0.03 | 0.16 | 0.08 | ||||||||||||||
| Remove amortization expense | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.23 | 0.23 | ||||||||||||||
| Remove tax benefit on adjusting items and amortization expense (2) | (0.04 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.05 | ) | (0.02 | ) | ||||||||||
| Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.46 | $ | 0.48 | ||||||||||
| Diluted Shares, as reported | 196,058 | 199,849 | 197,349 | 199,454 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: Adjusted EPS may not add due to rounding. | ||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Please refer to the “Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA” table above for additional information on adjusting items. See the “Per share impact of Adjusting Items” table below for the per share impact of each adjustment. | |||||||||||||||||
| (2) | We have calculated the income tax effect of the non-GAAP adjustments shown above at the applicable statutory rate of | |||||||||||||||||
| a. | The tax impact of stock compensation expense was calculated using the statutory rates above, excluding certain awards that are non-deductible. | |||||||||||||||||
| b. | Amortization expense for financial accounting purposes was offset by the tax benefit of deductible amortization expense using the statutory rate of | |||||||||||||||||
Per Share Impact of Adjusting Items
| Thirteen Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirteen Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||||
| Stock compensation expense | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.06 | $ | 0.05 | ||||
| Restructuring and other costs | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||||||||
| Litigation expense | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | ||||||||
| Transaction and integration expense | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||||||
| Refinancing costs | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 0.00 | ||||||||
| Total adjusting items | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.03 | $ | 0.16 | $ | 0.08 | ||||
| Note: Adjusting items may not add due to rounding. | ||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Net Debt
We define Net Debt as reported gross debt less cash on hand. Net debt is not defined under U.S. GAAP and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company believes that Net Debt provides further insight and comparability into liquidity and capital structure. The following is the calculation of Net Debt:
| September 26, 2026 | December 27, 2025 | |||||
| Revolving loans | $ | 9,000 | $ | 36,000 | ||
| Senior term loan, due 2028 | — | 636,960 | ||||
| Senior term loan, due 2033 | 935,000 | — | ||||
| Finance leases and other obligations | 23,718 | 20,090 | ||||
| Gross debt | $ | 967,718 | $ | 693,050 | ||
| Less cash | 35,078 | 27,276 | ||||
| Net debt | $ | 932,640 | $ | 665,774 | ||
Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow
We calculate free cash flow as cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow is not defined under U.S. GAAP and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. We believe free cash flow is an important indicator of how much cash is generated by our business operations and is a measure of incremental cash available to invest in our business and meet our debt obligations.
| Thirteen Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirteen Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 26, 2026 | Thirty-nine Weeks Ended September 27, 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 69,884 | $ | 26,237 | $ | 138,347 | $ | 74,289 | ||||||||
| Capital expenditures | (18,795 | ) | (17,172 | ) | (51,390 | ) | (55,347 | ) | ||||||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 51,089 | $ | 9,065 | $ | 86,957 | $ | 18,942 | ||||||||
Source: Hillman Solutions Corp.
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What were Hillman's third-quarter 2026 sales and earnings?
Hillman reported $457.5 million in net sales and $6.3 million in net income, or $0.03 per diluted share. Sales increased 7.7% from the prior-year quarter, while net income declined from $23.2 million. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure, remained unchanged at $0.22.
What is Hillman's updated full-year 2026 guidance?
Hillman expects $1.660–$1.680 billion in net sales, approximately $285 million in adjusted EBITDA and $105–$115 million in free cash flow. The sales range was lowered from $1.670–$1.720 billion; the two non-GAAP guidance measures were unchanged.
Why did Hillman narrow its 2026 sales outlook?
Hillman cited the macroeconomic environment as the reason for narrowing its sales range. Management based the updated outlook on performance through the first nine months and its expectations for the remainder of the year.