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	US Foods Holding Corp	51.35	0.93	1.84%
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US Foods Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Earnings

Net Sales Grew 4.5% to $35.6 Billion in Fiscal Year 2023, Driven by Strong Case Growth

Adjusted EBITDA Grew 19.0% to a Record $1.56 Billion in Fiscal Year 2023

Strong Cash Flow, Achieved Net Leverage Target, Repurchased Shares and Executed Accretive Tuck-in M&A

Announces Fiscal Year 2024 Guidance, Including Adjusted EBITDA of $1.69 to $1.74 Billion¹

• Net sales increased 4.9% to $8.9 billion
• Total case volume increased 5.6%; independent restaurant case volume increased 7.3%
• Gross profit increased 9.4% to $1.6 billion
• Net income available to common shareholders was $147 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 10.9% to $388 million
• Diluted EPS increased 59.5% to $0.59; Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 16.4% to $0.64

Fiscal Year 2023 Highlights

• Net sales increased 4.5% to $35.6 billion
• Total case volume increased 4.4%; independent restaurant case volume increased 6.9%
• Gross profit increased 11.9% to $6.1 billion
• Net income available to common shareholders was $499 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 19.0% to $1.56 billion
• Diluted EPS increased 100.0% to $2.02; Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 22.9% to $2.63

"2023 was an exciting year at US Foods and marked my first full year with this strong company. Through execution of our strategy and long-range plan, we captured profitable market share and enhanced margins," said Dave Flitman, CEO. "This resulted in record full-year 2023 Adjusted EBITDA of $1.56 billion, driven by strong case growth with our independent restaurant, healthcare and hospitality customers and the implementation of key operational initiatives. I believe our differentiated model and our sustainable competitive advantages will drive continued market outperformance and we are well-positioned to win in any macro environment. As we move into 2024, we will continue to execute our strategy and maintain our disciplined approach to capital deployment to drive long-term value creation for our shareholders. We have strong momentum entering this year, which is a reflection of the hard work and tireless commitment of our 30,000 dedicated associates."

"I am proud of our associates' ability to deliver solid financial results in the fourth quarter and record Adjusted EBITDA for 2023," added Dirk Locascio, CFO. "We generated strong free cash flow, reduced our debt, invested organically and inorganically via two tuck-in acquisitions that expand our position in underserved markets and repurchased shares. Our debt reduction and Adjusted EBITDA growth resulted in net leverage reduction from 3.5x at the end of 2022 to 2.8x at the end of 2023, within our targeted range. I am confident that our 2023 financial performance and our healthy balance sheet will enable us to execute our capital allocation priorities in 2024."

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2023 Results

Net sales of $8.9 billion for the quarter increased 4.9% from the prior year, driven by case volume growth. Total case volume increased 5.6% from the prior year on a 7.3% increase in independent restaurant case volume, an 8.1% increase in healthcare volume, a 5.0% increase in hospitality volume and a 0.8% increase in chain volume.

Gross profit of $1.6 billion increased $136 million, or 9.4%, from the prior year, primarily as a result of an increase in total case volume, cost of goods sold optimization, optimized pricing and a favorable year-over-year LIFO adjustment. Gross profit as a percent of Net sales was 17.8%. Adjusted Gross profit was $1.5 billion, a 6.1% increase from the prior year. Adjusted Gross profit as a percent of Net sales was 17.3% and adjusted Gross profit per case continued at strong levels due to the aforementioned factors.

Operating expenses of $1.3 billion increased $54 million, or 4.3%, 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 percent of Net sales were 14.7%. Adjusted Operating expenses for the quarter were $1.2 billion, an increase of $47 million, or 4.2% from the prior year, due to the aforementioned factors. Adjusted Operating expenses as a percent of Net sales were 13.0%.

Net income available to common shareholders was $147 million, an increase of $64 million compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was $388 million, an increase of $38 million, or 10.9%, compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 4.3%, an increase of 23 basis points compared to the prior year. Diluted EPS was $0.59; Adjusted Diluted EPS was $0.64.

Fiscal Year 2023 Results

Net sales of $35.6 billion increased 4.5% from the prior year, driven by case volume growth. Total case volume increased 4.4% from the prior year on a 6.9% increase in independent restaurant case volume, a 7.2% increase in healthcare volume and an 8.9% increase in hospitality volume, offset by a 2.1% decrease in chain volume.

Gross profit of $6.1 billion increased $656 million, or 11.9%, 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 and optimized pricing. Gross profit as a percent of Net sales was 17.3%. Adjusted Gross profit was $6.1 billion, a 9.0% increase from the prior year. Adjusted Gross profit as a percent of Net sales was 17.3% and adjusted Gross profit per case was strong due to the aforementioned factors.

Operating expenses of $5.1 billion increased $233 million, or 4.8%, 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 percent of Net sales were 14.4%. Adjusted Operating expenses were $4.6 billion, an increase of $243 million, or 5.6% 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 $499 million, an increase of $271 million compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.56 billion, an increase of $249 million, or 19.0% compared to the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 4.4%, an increase of 53 basis points compared to the prior year. Diluted EPS was $2.02; Adjusted Diluted EPS was $2.63.

Cash Flow and Debt

Cash flow provided by operating activities for fiscal 2023 was $1.14 billion, an increase of $375 million from the prior year due to earnings growth and strong working capital management. Cash capital expenditures for fiscal 2023 were $309 million, an increase of $44 million from the prior year, and related to investments in information technology, property and equipment, fleet replacement and maintenance of distribution facilities.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company repurchased 1.6 million shares of common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $65 million and for the full fiscal year repurchased 7.4 million shares of common stock at an aggregate purchase price of $294 million. The Company has approximately $192 million in remaining funds authorized under its $500 million share repurchase program.

Net Debt at the end of fiscal year 2023 was $4.4 billion, a decrease of $238 million versus the end of fiscal 2022. The ratio of Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA was 2.8x at the end of fiscal 2023, as compared to 3.5x at the end of fiscal 2022.

M&A Update

Subsequent to quarter-end, the Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire IWC Food Service, a broadline distributor which serves the greater Nashville area. IWC has approximately 220 associates and $200 million in annual sales. Pending regulatory approval, the Company is targeting to close the transaction in the second quarter of 2024.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company acquired Saladino's Foodservice, an independently owned broadline distributor based in central California for a purchase price of $56 million.

Outlook for Fiscal Year 2024¹

The Company is providing First Quarter 2024 guidance of:

• Adjusted EBITDA of $340 to $355 million

The Company is providing Fiscal Year 2024 guidance of:

• Net Sales of $37.5 to $38.5 billion
• Adjusted EBITDA of $1.69 to $1.74 billion
• Adjusted Diluted EPS of $3.00 to $3.20

^{____________________
1} The Company is not providing a reconciliation of certain forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Diluted EPS, because the Company is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the financial impact of certain significant items, including restructuring costs and asset impairment charges, share-based compensation expenses, non-cash impacts of LIFO reserve adjustments, losses on extinguishments of debt, business transformation costs, other gains and losses, business acquisition and integration related costs and diluted earnings per share. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could have a material impact on GAAP reported results for the guidance periods. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

US Foods will host a live webcast to discuss fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 results on February 15, 2024 at 8 a.m. CST. The call can also be accessed live over the phone by dialing (877) 344-2001; the conference ID number is 2528845.

Presentation slides 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 more than 70 broadline locations and approximately 90 cash and carry stores, US Foods and its 30,000 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.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release which are not historical in nature, including those under the heading "Outlook for Fiscal Year 2024," are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements often include words such as "believe," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "outlook," "estimate," "target," "seek," "will," "may," "would," "should," "could," "forecast," "mission," "strive," "more," "goal," or similar expressions (although not all forward-looking statements may contain such words) and are based upon various assumptions and our experience in the industry, as well as historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments. However, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results and there are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: economic factors affecting consumer confidence and discretionary spending and reducing the consumption of food prepared away from home; cost inflation/deflation and commodity volatility; competition; reliance on third party suppliers and interruption of product supply or increases in product costs; changes in our relationships with customers and group purchasing organizations; our ability to increase or maintain the highest margin portions of our business; achievement of expected benefits from cost savings initiatives; increases in fuel costs; changes in consumer eating habits; cost and pricing structures; the impact of climate change or related legal, regulatory or market measures; impairment charges for goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or other long-lived assets; the impact of governmental regulations; product recalls and product liability claims; our reputation in the industry; labor relations and increased labor costs and continued access to qualified and diverse labor; indebtedness and restrictions under agreements governing our indebtedness; interest rate increases; disruption of existing technologies and implementation of new technologies; cybersecurity incidents and other technology disruptions; risks associated with intellectual property, including potential infringement; effective consummation of pending acquisitions and effective integration of acquired businesses; potential costs associated with shareholder activism; changes in tax laws and regulations and resolution of tax disputes; certain provisions in our governing documents; health and safety risks to our associates and related losses; adverse judgments or settlements resulting from litigation; extreme weather conditions, natural disasters and other catastrophic events; and management of retirement benefits and pension obligations.

For a detailed discussion of these risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or expressed in any forward-looking statements, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed from time to time in current, quarterly and annual reports filed by the Company with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Additionally, we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment; new risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks nor identify all uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information and estimates available to us at this time. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We report our financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). However, Adjusted Gross profit, Adjusted Operating expenses, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Net Debt, Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Diluted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures regarding our operational performance and liquidity. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude the impact of certain items and, therefore, have not been calculated in accordance with GAAP.

We use Adjusted Gross profit and Adjusted Operating expenses as supplemental measures to GAAP measures to focus on period-over-period changes in our business and believe this information is helpful to investors. Adjusted Gross profit is Gross profit adjusted to remove the impact of the LIFO inventory reserve adjustments. Adjusted Operating expenses are Operating expenses adjusted to exclude amounts that we do not consider part of our core operating results when assessing our performance.

We believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin provide meaningful supplemental information about our operating performance because they exclude amounts that we do not consider part of our core operating results when assessing our performance. EBITDA is Net income (loss), plus Interest expense-net, Income tax provision (benefit), and Depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA adjusted for (1) Restructuring costs and asset impairment charges; (2) Share-based compensation expense; (3) the non-cash impact of LIFO reserve adjustments; (4) loss on extinguishment of debt; (5) Business transformation costs; and (6) other gains, losses or costs as specified in the agreements governing our indebtedness. Adjusted EBITDA margin is Adjusted EBITDA divided by total net sales.

We use Net Debt as a supplemental measure to GAAP measures to review the liquidity of our operations. Net Debt is defined as total debt net of total Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash remaining on the balance sheet as of the end of the most recent fiscal quarter. We believe that Net Debt is a useful financial metric to assess our ability to pursue business opportunities and investments. Net Debt is not a measure of our liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to Cash Flows Provided by Operations or Cash Flows Used in Financing Activities.

We believe that Adjusted Net income is a useful measure of operating performance for both management and investors because it excludes items that are not reflective of our core operating performance and provides an additional view of our operating performance including depreciation, interest expense, and Income taxes on a consistent basis from period to period. Adjusted Net income is Net income (loss) excluding such items as restructuring costs and asset impairment charges, Share-based compensation expense, the non-cash impacts of LIFO reserve adjustments, amortization expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, Business transformation costs and other items, and adjusted for the tax effect of the exclusions and discrete tax items. We believe that Adjusted Net income may be used by investors, analysts, and other interested parties to facilitate period-over-period comparisons and provides additional clarity as to how factors and trends impact our operating performance.

We use Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share, which is calculated by adjusting the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, Diluted Earnings per Share, by excluding the same items excluded in our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA to the extent that each such item was included in the applicable GAAP financial measure. We believe the presentation of Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share is useful to investors because the measurement excludes amounts that we do not consider part of our core operating results when assessing our performance. We also believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin and Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share is useful to investors because these metrics may be used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in their evaluation of the operating performance of companies in our industry.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures (a) to evaluate our historical and prospective financial performance as well as our performance relative to our competitors as they assist in highlighting trends, (b) to set internal sales targets and spending budgets, (c) to measure operational profitability and the accuracy of forecasting, (d) to assess financial discipline over operational expenditures, and (e) as an important factor in determining variable compensation for management and employees. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are also used in connection with certain covenants and restricted activities under the agreements governing our indebtedness. We also believe these and similar non-GAAP financial measures are frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry.

We caution readers that our definitions of Adjusted Gross profit, Adjusted Operating expenses, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Net Debt, Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Diluted EPS may not be calculated in the same manner as similar measures used by other companies. Definitions and reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to their most comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the schedules attached to this press release.

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