Company: SYY
Filing Date: 2025-10-29
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0000096021-25-000157
Chunk: 47

Company: SYSCO CORP
Filing Date: 2025-10-29
Form: 10-Q
Item: Item 1
Chunk 47
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2026 as compared to the two prior fiscal quarters, which has continued to adversely impact consumer sentiment. Despite the current macroeconomic landscape, we expect to grow both sales and net earnings per share in fiscal 2026. We believe the food-away-from-home sector is a healthy, long-term growth market, and Sysco is diversified and well positioned as a market leader in food service.

Sales and Gross Profit Trends

Sales increased 3.2% in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Our sales and gross profit performance are influenced by multiple factors, including price, volume, inflation, customer mix and product mix. We experienced a 0.1% increase in U.S. Foodservice Operations case volume in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Our volume growth trends were attributable to national case volume increasing 0.7% and local volume decreasing 0.2% in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Our volume reflects our broadline and specialty businesses. Beginning in fiscal 2026, we are now including volumes from our specialty meat business for all periods presented. 

We experienced inflation at a rate of 3.4% in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, at the total enterprise level, primarily driven by inflation in the meat and seafood categories. We continue to manage inflation by successfully passing on cost increases to our customers in a timely manner. Gross margin increased 13 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025, primarily due to benefits from our strategic sourcing initiatives.

Operating Expense Trends

Total operating expenses were $3.1 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, a 5.3% increase compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Total adjusted operating expenses were $3.0 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, a 4.3% increase as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Operating expenses increased primarily due to sales headcount investments, higher incentive compensation, and costs associated with expanded building capacity, including depreciation expense related to new facilities. Adjusted operating expenses were 14.2% of sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2026, which represents a 14-basis point increase as compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2025, as a result of planned investments