07/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/15/2026 14:32
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis is intended to provide a summary of significant factors relevant to our financial performance and condition. The discussion and analysis should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. Results for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be attained in the future.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained in this report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expected future financial performance or position, results of operations, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and other statements that are not historical facts. You can identify forward-looking statements by their use of forward-looking words, such as "may", "will", "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "should", "seek", or comparable terms.
Readers of this report should understand that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance or results. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations and beliefs concerning future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and factors relating to our business and operations, all of which are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and factors include: risks associated with general economic and industry conditions, including inflation, oil, energy and fuel costs, reduced consumer confidence and spending, increased tariffs and taxes, actual or threatened hostilities or war and/or other geopolitical conflicts, declining benefits or changing eligibility requirements under government food assistance programs for consumers, rising unemployment, recessions, supply chain challenges, labor cost increases or shortages, interest rate and currency rate fluctuations; risks related to the availability and prices of commodities and other supply chain resources, including raw materials, packaging, energy, and transportation, weather conditions, pandemics, epidemics, and disease, in humans, plants, and animals; disruptions or inefficiencies in our supply chain and/or operations; risks related to the effectiveness of our hedging activities and ability to respond to volatility in commodities; risks related to the ultimate impact of, including reputational harm caused by, any product recalls and product liability or labeling litigation; risks related to our ability to execute operating and value creation plans and achieve returns on our investments and targeted operating efficiencies from cost-saving initiatives, and to benefit from trade optimization programs; risks related to our ability to deleverage on currently anticipated timelines, and to continue to access capital on acceptable terms or at all; risks related to the Company's competitive environment, cost structure, and related market conditions; risks related to our ability to respond to changing consumer preferences, including health and wellness perceptions and the success of our innovation and marketing investments; risks associated with actions by our customers, including changes in distribution and purchasing terms; risks related to the seasonality of our business; risks associated with our contract manufacturing arrangements and other third-party service provider dependencies; risks associated with actions of governments and regulatory bodies that affect our businesses, including regulations or interpretations designed to address climate change; risks related to the Company's ability to execute on its strategies or achieve expectations related to environmental, social, and governance matters, including as a result of evolving legal, regulatory, and other standards, processes, and assumptions, the pace of scientific and technological developments, increased costs, the availability of requisite financing, and changes in carbon pricing or carbon taxes; risks related to a material failure in or breach of our or our vendors' information technology systems and other cybersecurity incidents; risks related to our ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and develop qualified personnel; risk of increased pension, labor or people-related expenses; risks and uncertainties associated with intangible assets, including any future goodwill or intangible assets impairment charges; risks relating to our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; risks relating to acquisition,
divestiture, joint venture or investment activities; the amount and timing of future dividends, which remain subject to Board approval and depend on market and other conditions; the amount and timing of future stock repurchases; and other risks described in our reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included in this report, which speak only as of the date of this report. We undertake no responsibility to update these statements, except as required by law.
The discussion that follows should be read together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in this report. Results for fiscal 2026 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be attained in the future.
EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
Conagra Brands, Inc. (the "Company", "Conagra Brands", "we", "us", or "our"), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We combine a 100-year history of making quality food with agility and a relentless focus on collaboration and innovation. The company's portfolio is continuously evolving to satisfy consumers' ever-changing food preferences. Conagra's brands include Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, and many more.
Trends Impacting our Business
We continue to expect our industry to be impacted by weak consumer sentiment, inflation, commodity cost fluctuations, supply chain pressures, trade and regulatory uncertainty, and other global macroeconomic challenges. In fiscal 2026, these challenges resulted in input cost inflation, labor cost inflation, and higher oil, energy, and fuel costs. Additionally, in fiscal 2026, rapidly changing U.S. tariffs and reciprocal tariffs caused increased uncertainty as well as input cost inflation in key materials used in our products, including tin-plate steel used in packaging for our canned products, which we were able to partially offset with productivity initiatives and price increases on impacted products.
We will continue to evaluate the evolving macroeconomic environment to take action to mitigate the impact on our business, consolidated results of operations, and financial condition. While we will continue to seek to offset input cost inflation with productivity initiatives and tariff mitigation efforts, we anticipate that we may need to increase prices on certain products in fiscal 2027 to mitigate margin impacts and would expect corresponding elasticity impacts. Throughout fiscal 2027, continued consumer sensitivity to price increases may negatively impact our volumes while input cost inflation could negatively impact our earnings.
We expect consumer expectations to continue to evolve and we plan to continue our focus on innovation to meet consumers' changing preferences. With consumers prioritizing wellness and the increase in affordability and accessibility of weight loss drugs, we see consumers continuing to seek products that enhance their wellness and weight management goals, including portion-controlled, high protein, and high fiber meals and snacks, positioning our portfolio of products well for fiscal 2027.
Fiscal 2026 Results
Fiscal 2026 results compared to fiscal 2025 reflected lower net sales, inclusive of a 53rd week in fiscal 2026. On an organic basis, which excludes the impacts of foreign exchange, acquisitions, divestitures, and the 53rd week, increased net sales in our Foodservice segment were more than offset by declines in our Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, and International segments. Gross profit decreased primarily due to lower net sales, input cost inflation, and unfavorable operating leverage, partially offset by productivity and the 53rd week.
Segment operating profit decreased across all segments. Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses decreased due to items impacting comparability, partially offset by higher incentive compensation expense in fiscal 2026. Compared to fiscal 2025, we recognized lower equity method investment earnings, lower interest expense, and higher income tax expense. Excluding items impacting comparability, our effective tax rate increased from fiscal 2025.
Diluted loss per share was $4.00 in fiscal 2026 compared to diluted earnings per share of $2.40 in fiscal 2025, reflecting lower net income in fiscal 2026.
See "Items Impacting Comparability" below for a discussion of significant items affecting the comparability of year-over-year results.
Items Impacting Comparability
Items of note impacting comparability of results for fiscal 2026 included the following:
| ● | charges totaling $2.93 billion ($2.73 billion after-tax) related to the impairments of goodwill and certain brand intangible assets, |
| ● | an income tax benefit of $35.2 million and related equity method investment benefit of $0.3 million ($35.5 million after-tax) associated with certain elections made on an income tax return of a joint venture, |
| ● | a net gain of $42.2 million ($20.6 million after-tax loss) associated with the divestiture of our Chef Boyardee® and frozen fish businesses, |
| ● | charges totaling $45.7 million ($34.6 million after-tax) in connection with our restructuring plans, |
| ● | a net benefit of $37.4 million ($28.3 million after-tax) related to legacy legal matters, |
| ● | a net benefit of $22.5 million ($17.1 million after-tax) primarily related to our year-end remeasurement of certain hourly pension plan liabilities, |
| ● | income tax expense of $11.1 million related to a former divestiture, |
| ● | charges totaling $8.1 million ($8.1 million after-tax) related to the separation of our CEO, |
| ● | charges of $7.5 million ($5.7 million after-tax) related to restructuring activities of the Ardent Mills joint venture, and |
| ● | charges totaling $5.4 million ($4.1 million after-tax) related to environmental matters. |
Items of note impacting comparability of results for fiscal 2025 included the following:
| ● | income tax benefits of $253.5 million associated with the release of valuation allowances on certain deferred tax assets based primarily on interactions with the taxing authorities, |
| ● | charges totaling $101.7 million ($77.0 million after-tax) in connection with our restructuring plans, |
| ● | net charges totaling $88.7 million ($67.0 million after-tax) related to legacy legal matters, |
| ● | charges of $72.1 million ($55.4 million after-tax) related to the impairments of certain brand intangible assets, |
| ● | charges totaling $29.5 million ($24.4 million after-tax) primarily related to the impairment of a business held for sale, |
| ● | a gain of $17.0 million ($12.8 million after-tax) associated with insurance proceeds from the previous fire that occurred at one of our manufacturing facilities, |
| ● | a non-cash settlement gain of $13.0 million ($9.8 million after-tax) associated with a partial transfer of our U.S. defined benefit pension plan obligation to a third-party insurance provider through the purchase of an annuity contract, and |
| ● | charges of $7.2 million ($5.5 million after-tax) related to restructuring activities of the Ardent Mills joint venture. |
Segment presentation of gains and losses from derivatives used for economic hedging of anticipated commodity input costs and economic hedging of foreign currency exchange rate risks of anticipated transactions are discussed in the segment review below.
SEGMENT REVIEW
We reflect our results of operations in four reporting segments: Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice.
Grocery & Snacks
The Grocery & Snacks reporting segment principally includes branded, shelf-stable food products sold in various retail channels in the United States.
Refrigerated & Frozen
The Refrigerated & Frozen reporting segment principally includes branded, temperature-controlled food products sold in various retail channels in the United States.
International
The International reporting segment principally includes branded food products, in various temperature states, sold in various retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States.
Foodservice
The Foodservice reporting segment includes branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and a variety of custom-manufactured culinary products that are packaged for sale to restaurants and other foodservice establishments primarily in the United States.
Presentation of Derivative Gains (Losses) from Economic Hedges of Forecasted Cash Flows in Segment Results
Derivatives used to manage commodity price risk and foreign currency risk are not designated for hedge accounting treatment. We believe these derivatives provide economic hedges of certain forecasted transactions. As such, these derivatives are generally recognized at fair market value with realized and unrealized gains and losses recognized in general corporate expenses. The gains and losses are subsequently recognized in the operating results of the reporting segments in the period in which the underlying transaction being economically hedged is included in earnings. In the event that management determines a particular derivative entered into as an economic hedge of a forecasted commodity purchase has ceased to function as an economic hedge, we cease recognizing further gains and losses on such derivatives in corporate expense and begin recognizing such gains and losses within segment operating results, immediately. See Note 17, "Derivative Financial Instruments", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for further discussion.
Presentation of Information
Below is a detailed discussion and comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended May 31, 2026 and May 25, 2025. For a discussion of changes from the fiscal year ended May 26, 2024 to the fiscal year ended May 25, 2025, refer to Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 25, 2025 (filed July 10, 2025).
Fiscal 2026 compared to Fiscal 2025
Net Sales
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($ in millions) |
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Net Sales |
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Reporting Segment |
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Fiscal 2026 |
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Fiscal 2025 |
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% Inc (Dec) |
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Grocery & Snacks |
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$ |
4,610.1 |
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$ |
4,899.3 |
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(5.9)% |
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Refrigerated & Frozen |
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4,641.8 |
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4,662.3 |
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(0.4)% |
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International |
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913.9 |
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956.5 |
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(4.4)% |
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Foodservice |
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1,115.8 |
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1,094.7 |
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1.9% |
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Total |
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$ |
11,281.6 |
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$ |
11,612.8 |
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(2.9)% |
Net sales for fiscal 2026 in our Grocery & Snacks segment included a decrease in organic volumes of 2.4% and an increase in price/mix of 2.3% when compared to fiscal 2025, primarily due to inflation-driven pricing and corresponding elasticity impacts. The inclusion of an additional week of results in fiscal 2026 accounted for 1.8% of an increase in net sales when compared to fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 and 2025 included $7.0 million and $385.9 million, respectively, of net sales related to our Chef Boyardee® business, which was sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Fiscal 2026 also included inorganic net sales of $10.6 million associated with the acquisitions of Sweetwood Smoke & Co. in August 2024 and a contract manufacturer in July 2024 through the respective one-year anniversary of each acquisition.
Net sales for fiscal 2026 in our Refrigerated & Frozen segment included a decrease in organic price/mix of 1.0% and an increase in organic volume of 0.3% compared to fiscal 2025. The inclusion of an additional week of results in fiscal 2026 accounted for 1.8% of an increase in net sales when compared to fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 and 2025 included $4.9 million and $76.8 million, respectively, of net sales related to our frozen fish business, which was sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Additionally, we estimate that net sales during fiscal 2025 were impacted by approximately $24 million due to temporary manufacturing disruptions in our Hebrew National® business during the key grilling season.
Net sales for fiscal 2026 in our International segment reflected a 4.2% decrease in organic volume, a 3.2% increase due to favorable foreign exchange rates, and a 1.7% increase in organic price/mix, in each case compared to fiscal 2025. The favorable foreign exchange rates were primarily due to the strength of the US dollar relative to the Mexican Peso in comparison to the prior year. The inclusion of an additional week of results in fiscal 2026 accounted for 1.9% of an increase in net sales when compared to fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 and 2025 included $1.1 million and $43.1 million, respectively, of net sales related to our Chef Boyardee® business. In addition, fiscal 2025 included $23.6 million of net sales related to our ownership stake in Agro Tech Foods Limited ("ATFL"), which was sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2025.
Net sales for fiscal 2026 in our Foodservice segment included an increase in organic price/mix of 3.6% compared to fiscal 2025, primarily due to inflation justified pricing actions. Organic volume decreased by 2.2% compared to fiscal 2025, reflecting soft but generally stable trends in commercial traffic. The inclusion of an additional week of results in fiscal 2026 accounted for 2.0% of an increase in net sales when compared to fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2025 included $16.2 million of net sales related to our Chef Boyardee® and frozen fish businesses. Additionally, we estimate that net sales in our Foodservice segment during fiscal 2025 were impacted by approximately $3 million due to the temporary manufacturing disruptions in our Hebrew National® business.
SG&A Expenses (Includes general corporate expenses)
SG&A expenses totaled $1.44 billion for fiscal 2026, a decrease of $97.9 million compared to fiscal 2025. SG&A expenses for fiscal 2026 reflected the following:
Items impacting comparability of earnings
| ● | net charges of $33.8 million in connection with our restructuring plans, |
| ● | a net benefit of $37.4 million related to legacy legal matters, |
| ● | charges totaling $8.1 million related to the separation of our CEO, and |
| ● | charges totaling $5.4 million related to environmental matters. |
Other changes in expenses compared to fiscal 2025
| ● | an increase in short-term incentive expense of $41.6 million primarily due to an increase in the estimated level of achievement of certain performance targets, |
| ● | an increase in advertising and promotion expense of $16.2 million, |
| ● | an increase in share-based payment expense of $13.4 million, |
| ● | a decrease in consulting and professional fees of $12.9 million, |
| ● | an increase in salary, wage, and fringe benefit expense of $12.0 million primarily due to the 53rd week in the current fiscal year, |
| ● | a decrease in amortization expense of $10.6 million, |
| ● | an increase in deferred compensation expense of $8.0 million primarily due to market volatility between periods, and |
| ● | an increase in information technology-related expenses of $7.4 million. |
SG&A expenses for fiscal 2025 included the following items impacting the comparability of earnings:
| ● | net charges of $91.1 million in connection with our restructuring plans and |
| ● | net charges totaling $88.7 million related to legacy legal matters. |
Segment Operating Profit
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($ in millions) |
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Segment Operating Profit1 |
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Reporting Segment |
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Fiscal 2026 |
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Fiscal 2025 |
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% Inc (Dec) |
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Grocery & Snacks |
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$ |
885.0 |
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$ |
1,017.0 |
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(13.0)% |
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Refrigerated & Frozen |
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485.6 |
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651.7 |
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(25.5)% |
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International |
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134.4 |
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143.9 |
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(6.7)% |
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Foodservice |
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114.3 |
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131.0 |
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(12.8)% |
1 Segment operating profit is defined as operating profit excluding the effect of items impacting comparability. See Note 20, "Business Segments and Related Information", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for further discussion.
Segment operating profit in our Grocery & Snacks segment for fiscal 2026 reflected a decrease in gross profit of $125.6 million compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease in gross profit was driven by the impacts of input cost inflation, unfavorable operating leverage, and a reduction in profit associated with the sale of our Chef Boyardee® business, partially offset by the inclusion of the 53rd week of our current fiscal year and productivity. In addition, we recognized a benefit of $11.3 million in fiscal 2025 related to insurance proceeds for lost sales from our fiscal 2023 brand recall on Armour Star®. Segment operating profit was also impacted by higher SG&A expenses compared to fiscal 2025.
Segment operating profit in our Refrigerated & Frozen segment for fiscal 2026 reflected a decrease in gross profit of $133.6 million compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease was driven by the impacts of lower organic net sales, input cost inflation, unfavorable operating leverage, and a reduction in profit associated with the sale of our frozen fish business, partially offset by the inclusion of the 53rd week of our current fiscal year and productivity. In addition, we estimate that gross profits during fiscal 2025 were negatively impacted by approximately $10 million, primarily due to lost profits, abnormal manufacturing variances, and certain inventory write-offs resulting from the temporary manufacturing disruptions in our Hebrew National® business. Segment operating profit was also impacted by higher SG&A expenses compared to fiscal 2025, which included an increase of $15.5 million in advertising and promotion expenses.
Segment operating profit in our International segment for fiscal 2026 reflected a decrease in gross profit of $11.5 million compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease was driven by the organic net sales decline discussed above, the impacts of input cost inflation, unfavorable operating leverage, and a reduction in profit associated with the sale of our ownership stake in ATFL, partially offset by the inclusion of the 53rd week of our current fiscal year, productivity, and favorable foreign exchange rates.
Segment operating profit in our Foodservice segment for fiscal 2026 reflected a decrease in gross profit of $11.5 million compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease in gross profits was driven by the impacts of input cost inflation, unfavorable operating leverage, and a reduction in profit from divested businesses, partially offset by the increase in organic net sales discussed above, the inclusion of the 53rd week of our current fiscal year, and productivity. Segment operating profit was also impacted by higher SG&A expenses compared to fiscal 2025.
Pension and Postretirement Non-service Income
In fiscal 2026, pension and postretirement non-service income was $45.9 million, an increase of $20.0 million compared to fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 reflected lower interest costs as a result of the partial transfer of our U.S. defined benefit pension plan obligation to a third-party insurance provider through the purchase of an annuity contract in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2025 included a non-cash settlement gain of $13.0 million associated with the partial transfer. In addition, fiscal 2026 included a net benefit of $22.5 million primarily related to our year-end remeasurement of certain hourly pension plan liabilities.
Interest Expense, Net
In fiscal 2026, net interest expense was $382.6 million, a decrease of $34.1 million, or 8.2%, from fiscal 2025. The decrease was driven by an overall reduction of our debt balances. See Note 4, "Long-Term Debt", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for further discussion.
Equity Method Investment Earnings
We include our share of the earnings of certain affiliates based on our economic ownership interest in the affiliates. Our most significant affiliate is the Ardent Mills joint venture. Our share of earnings from our equity method investment earnings were $140.7 million and $182.4 million for fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively. Ardent Mills earnings for fiscal 2026 reflected lower commodity trading revenue. Results for fiscal 2026 and 2025 included net charges of $9.6 million and $7.2 million, respectively, primarily related to Ardent Mills restructuring activities.
Income Taxes
Our income tax expense was $91.8 million and $3.7 million in fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively. The effective tax rate (calculated as the ratio of income tax expense to pre-tax income (loss), inclusive of equity method investment earnings) was approximately (5.0)% and 0.3% for fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively. See Note 14, "Pre-Tax Income and Income Taxes", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for a further discussion on the change in effective tax rates.
We expect our effective tax rate in fiscal 2027, exclusive of any unusual transactions or tax events, to be approximately 24%.
Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Diluted loss per share in fiscal 2026 was $4.00 and diluted earnings per share in fiscal 2025 were $2.40. The decrease in diluted earnings per share reflected lower net income. See "Items Impacting Comparability" above as several significant items affected the comparability of year-over-year results of operations.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Sources of Liquidity and Capital
The primary objective of our financing strategy is to maintain a prudent capital structure that provides us flexibility to pursue our growth objectives. We use a combination of equity and short- and long-term debt. We use short-term debt principally to finance ongoing operations, including our seasonal requirements for working capital (accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, and inventories, less accounts and other payables, accrued payroll, and other accrued liabilities). We strive to maintain solid investment grade credit ratings.
Management believes that existing cash balances, cash flows from operations, existing credit facilities, our commercial paper program, and access to capital markets will provide sufficient liquidity to meet our debt obligations, including any repayment of debt or refinancing of debt, working capital needs, planned capital expenditures, other contractual obligations, and payment of anticipated quarterly dividends for at least the next twelve months and the foreseeable future thereafter.
Borrowing Facilities and Long-Term Debt
At May 31, 2026, we had a revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") with a syndicate of financial institutions providing for a maximum aggregate principal amount outstanding at any one time of $2.0 billion (subject to increase to a maximum aggregate principal amount of $2.5 billion with the consent of the lenders). The Revolving Credit Facility terminated and replaced our
prior revolving credit facility in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. The Revolving Credit Facility matures on June 27, 2030 and is unsecured. The Company may request the term of the Revolving Credit Facility be extended for additional one-year or two-year periods from the then-applicable maturity date on an annual basis. We have historically used a credit facility principally as a back-up for our commercial paper program. As of May 31, 2026, there were no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility.
We had no outstanding borrowings under our commercial paper program as of May 31, 2026 and $259.0 million outstanding as of May 25, 2025. The highest level of borrowings during fiscal 2026 was $642.0 million.
During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, we issued $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.00% senior unsecured notes due August 1, 2030 and $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.75% senior unsecured notes due August 1, 2035 (collectively, the "Senior Unsecured Notes"). The net proceeds were partially used to repay the $300.0 million and $200.0 million aggregate principal amount outstanding under the unsecured term loan agreements dated April 29, 2024, as amended by a letter agreement dated April 29, 2025 (the "2024 Term Loan") and April 29, 2025 (the "2025 Term Loan"), respectively, as well as outstanding borrowings under our commercial paper program. The 2024 Term Loan and 2025 Term Loan repayments were also partially funded by the proceeds received in connection with the sale of our Chef Boyardee® business.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2026, we repaid the entire $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.60% senior unsecured notes on the maturity date of November 1, 2025, using remaining proceeds from the Senior Unsecured Notes, cash on hand, and the issuance of commercial paper.
See Note 4, "Long-Term Debt" and Note 5, "Credit Facilities and Borrowings", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for additional information on our debt transactions. The weighted-average coupon interest rate of the long-term debt obligations outstanding as of May 31, 2026, was approximately 5.0%.
We expect to maintain or have access to sufficient liquidity to retire or refinance long-term debt at maturity or otherwise, from operating cash flows, our commercial paper program, access to the capital markets, and our Revolving Credit Facility. We have $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.3% senior unsecured notes and $262.5 million aggregate principal amount of 7.125% senior unsecured notes maturing in October 2026 that we expect to pay and/or refinance using available sources which may include the investment grade note market, bank loans, commercial paper, and cash on hand. We continuously evaluate opportunities to refinance our debt; however, any refinancing is subject to market conditions and other factors, including financing options that may be available to us from time to time, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully refinance any debt on commercially acceptable terms at all.
As of the end of fiscal 2026, our senior long-term debt ratings were all investment grade. A significant downgrade in our credit ratings would not affect our ability to borrow amounts under the Revolving Credit Facility, although borrowing costs would increase. A downgrade of our short-term credit ratings would impact our ability to borrow under our commercial paper program by negatively impacting borrowing costs and causing shorter durations, as well as making access to commercial paper more difficult, or impossible.
Our most restrictive debt agreement (the Revolving Credit Facility) generally requires our ratio of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") to interest expense not be less than 3.0 to 1.0 and our ratio of funded debt to EBITDA not to exceed 4.5 to 1.0. Each ratio is to be calculated on a rolling four-quarter basis. As of May 31, 2026, we were in compliance with all financial covenants.
Equity and Dividends
We repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time after considering market conditions and in accordance with repurchase limits authorized by our Board. Under our current share repurchase authorization, we may repurchase our shares periodically over several years, depending on market conditions and other factors, and may do so in open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions. The share repurchase authorization has no expiration date. During fiscal 2026, we repurchased 0.8 million shares of our common stock under this authorization for an aggregate of $15.0 million. The Company's total remaining share repurchase authorization as of May 31, 2026 was $837.6 million.
On March 31, 2026, we announced that our Board had authorized a quarterly dividend payment of $0.35 per share, which was paid on June 3, 2026, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 30, 2026. Subsequent to our fiscal year end, on July 15, 2026, we announced that our Board had authorized a quarterly dividend of $0.175 per share to be paid on September 2, 2026 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 30, 2026.
Contractual Obligations
As part of our ongoing operations, we enter into contractual arrangements that obligate us to make future cash payments. These obligations impact our liquidity and capital resource needs. In addition to principal and interest payments on our outstanding long-term debt and notes payable balances, discussed above, our contractual obligations primarily consist of lease payments, income taxes, pension and postretirement benefits, and unconditional purchase obligations.
A summary of our operating and finance lease obligations as of May 31, 2026 can be found in Note 15, "Leases", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report.
The liability for gross unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions was $20.3 million as of May 31, 2026. See Note 14, "Pre-Tax Income and Income Taxes", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report for information related to income taxes.
As of May 31, 2026, we had an aggregate funded pension asset of $276.7 million and an aggregate unfunded postretirement benefit obligation totaling $44.3 million. We expect to make payments totaling approximately $10.3 million and $6.1 million in fiscal 2027 to fund our pension and postretirement plans, respectively. See Note 18, "Pension and Postretirement Benefits", to the Consolidated Financial Statements and "Critical Accounting Estimates - Employee-Related Benefits" contained in this report for further discussion of our pension obligation and factors that could affect estimates of these obligations.
As of May 31, 2026, our unconditional purchase obligations (i.e., obligations to transfer funds in the future for fixed or minimum quantities of goods or services at fixed or minimum prices, such as "take-or-pay" contracts) totaled approximately $2.72 billion. Approximately $1.63 billion of this balance is due in fiscal 2027. Included in this amount are open purchase orders and other supply agreements totaling approximately $1.26 billion, which are generally settleable in the ordinary course of business in less than one year. Warehousing service agreements totaling approximately $826 million make up a majority of our remaining unconditional purchase obligations with various terms of up to 10 years.
We expect to have sufficient cash flows from the above cited sources to meet the material cash requirements of these contractual obligations as they become settleable in the ordinary course of business.
Capital Expenditures
We continue to make investments in our business and operating facilities. Our preliminary estimate of capital expenditures for fiscal 2027 is approximately $550 million.
Cash Flows
In fiscal 2026, we generated $150.0 million of cash, which was the net result of $1.40 billion generated from operating activities, $262.6 million generated from investing activities, $1.52 billion used in financing activities, and an increase of $1.4 million due to the effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Cash generated from operating activities totaled $1.40 billion in fiscal 2026, as compared to $1.69 billion generated in fiscal 2025. The decrease in operating cash flows for fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025 was primarily driven by lower operating profits and the accelerated receipt of our outstanding receivables initiated in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, partially offset by favorable inventory management.
Cash generated in investing activities totaled $262.6 million in fiscal 2026 compared to $542.2 million cash used in fiscal 2025. Investing activities in fiscal 2026 consisted primarily of proceeds totaling $648.9 million from the sale of our Chef Boyardee® and frozen fish businesses, which were partially offset by capital expenditures totaling $423.4 million. Investing activities in fiscal 2025 consisted primarily of capital expenditures totaling $389.3 million and the purchases of an existing contract manufacturer and Sweetwood Smoke & Co. for a total of $230.6 million, net of cash acquired, which were partially offset by net proceeds totaling $76.8 million from the sale of our ownership stake in ATFL.
Cash used in financing activities totaled $1.52 billion in fiscal 2026 compared to $1.16 billion in fiscal 2025. Financing activities in fiscal 2026 principally reflected repayments of long-term debt of $1.03 billion, the issuance of long-term debt totaling $1.0 billion, net short-term borrowing repayments of $770.5 million, cash dividends paid of $669.7 million, and common stock repurchases
of $15.3 million. Financing activities in fiscal 2025 principally reflected repayments of long-term debt of $281.3 million, net short-term borrowing repayments of $125.6 million, cash dividends paid of $669.2 million, and common stock repurchases of $64.0 million.
Cash Held by International Subsidiaries
The Company had cash and cash equivalents of $218.0 million at May 31, 2026 and $68.0 million at May 25, 2025, of which $73.7 million at May 31, 2026 and $61.6 million at May 25, 2025 was held in foreign countries. A deferred tax liability is provided for certain undistributed foreign earnings that are not considered to be indefinitely reinvested or cannot be remitted in a tax-neutral transaction. Other undistributed foreign earnings are invested indefinitely and therefore we have not provided deferred taxes on those earnings.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The process of preparing financial statements requires the use of estimates on the part of management. The estimates used by management are based on our historical experiences combined with management's understanding of current facts and circumstances. Certain of our accounting estimates are considered critical as they are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require significant or complex judgment on the part of management. The following is a summary of certain accounting estimates considered critical by management.
Our Audit/Finance Committee has reviewed management's development, selection, and disclosure of the critical accounting estimates.
Marketing Costs-We offer various forms of advertising, trade promotions, and consumer incentives which are primarily recorded as a reduction in revenue. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and recorded in SG&A expenses.
The methodologies for determining trade promotions and consumer incentives are dependent on local customer pricing practices, which range from contractually fixed percentage price reductions to provisions based on actual occurrence or performance. Our promotional activities are conducted either through the retail trade or directly with consumers and include activities such as in-store displays and events, feature price discounts, consumer coupons, and loyalty programs. The costs of these activities are recognized as a reduction of revenue at the time the related revenue is recorded, which normally precedes the actual cash expenditure. The recognition of these costs therefore requires management judgment regarding the volume of promotional offers that will be redeemed by either the retail trade or consumer. These estimates are made using various techniques including historical data on performance of similar promotional programs. Differences between estimated expense and actual redemptions are recognized as a change in management estimate in a subsequent period.
We have recognized trade promotion and advertising liabilities of $116.0 million as of May 31, 2026. Changes in the assumptions used in estimating the cost of any individual customer marketing program would not result in a material change in our results of operations or cash flows.
Income Taxes-Our income tax expense is based on our income, statutory tax rates, and tax planning opportunities available in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our income tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties. Management reviews tax positions at least quarterly and adjusts the balances as new information becomes available. Deferred income tax assets represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in our consolidated balance sheets, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Management evaluates the recoverability of these future tax deductions by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings, and available tax planning strategies. These estimates of future taxable income inherently require significant judgment. Management uses historical experience and short and long-range business forecasts to develop such estimates. Further, we employ various prudent and feasible tax planning strategies to facilitate the recoverability of future deductions. To the extent management does not consider it more likely than not that a deferred tax asset will be recovered, a valuation allowance is established.
Further information on income taxes is provided in Note 14, "Pre-tax Income and Income Taxes", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report.
Employee-Related Benefits-We incur certain employment-related expenses associated with our pension plans. In order to measure the annual expense associated with these pension benefits, management must make a variety of estimates including discount rates used to measure the present value of certain liabilities, assumed rates of return on assets set aside to fund these expenses, and anticipated mortality rates. The estimates used by management are based on our historical experience as well as current facts and circumstances. We use third-party specialists to assist management in appropriately measuring the expense associated with these pension benefits. Different estimates used by management could result in us recognizing different amounts of expense over different periods of time.
The Company uses a split discount rate (the "spot-rate approach") for the U.S. plans and certain foreign plans. The spot-rate approach applies separate discount rates for each projected benefit payment in the calculation of pension service and interest cost.
We have recognized a pension liability of $82.8 million and $89.8 million as of the end of fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively. We also have recognized a pension asset of $359.5 million and $342.8 million as of the end of fiscal 2026 and 2025, respectively, as certain individual plans of the Company had a positive funded status.
We recognize cumulative changes in the fair value of pension plan assets and net actuarial gains or losses in excess of 10% of the greater of the fair value of plan assets or the plan's projected benefit obligation ("the corridor") in current period expense annually as of our measurement date, which is our fiscal year-end, or when measurement is required otherwise under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We recognized a pension benefit from Company plans of $37.4 million, $19.6 million, and $0.6 million in fiscal 2026, 2025, and 2024, respectively. Such amounts reflect the year-end write-off of actuarial losses (gains) in excess of 10% of our pension liability of $(25.2) million, $(3.5) million, and $(12.5) million in fiscal 2026, 2025, and 2024, respectively. This also reflected expected returns on plan assets of $109.6 million, $146.3 million, and $141.3 million in fiscal 2026, 2025, and 2024, respectively. We contributed $11.4 million, $11.9 million, and $12.2 million to our pension plans in fiscal 2026, 2025, and 2024, respectively. We anticipate contributing approximately $10.3 million to our pension plans in fiscal 2027.
One significant assumption for pension plan accounting is the discount rate. We use a spot-rate approach, discussed above. This approach focuses on measuring the service cost and interest cost components of net periodic benefit cost by using individual spot rates derived from a high-quality corporate bond yield curve and matched with separate cash flows for each future year instead of a single weighted-average discount rate approach.
Based on this information, the weighted-average discount rate selected by us for determination of the interest cost component of our pension expense was 5.41% for fiscal 2026, 5.51% for fiscal 2025, and 5.41% for fiscal 2024. The weighted-average discount rate selected by us for determination of the service cost component of our pension expense was 6.17% for fiscal 2026, 5.72% for fiscal 2025, and 5.60% for fiscal 2024. We selected a weighted-average discount rate of 5.93% and 5.20% for determination of service and interest expense, respectively, for fiscal 2027. A 50-basis point increase in our discount rate assumption as of the end of fiscal 2026 would increase our annual pension expense for our pension plans by $3.3 million. A 50-basis point decrease in our discount rate assumption as of the end of fiscal 2026 would decrease our annual pension expense for our pension plans by $3.7 million. For our year-end pension obligation determination, we selected discount rates of 5.65% and 5.91% for fiscal years 2026 and 2025, respectively.
Another significant assumption used to account for our pension plans is the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets. In developing the assumed long-term rate of return on plan assets for determining pension expense, we consider long-term historical returns (arithmetic average) of the plan's investments, the asset allocation among types of investments, estimated long-term returns by investment type from external sources, and the current economic environment. Based on this information, we selected a weighted-average expected long-term rate of return on plan assets of 5.89% and 5.71% for determining our fiscal 2026 and 2027 pension expense, respectively. A 50-basis point increase/decrease in our expected long-term rate of return assumption as of the beginning of fiscal 2027 would decrease/increase annual pension expense for our pension plans by $9.3 million.
Business Combinations, Impairment of Long-Lived Assets (including property, plant and equipment), Identifiable Intangible Assets, and Goodwill-We use the acquisition method in accounting for acquired businesses. Under the acquisition method, our financial statements reflect the operations of an acquired business starting from the closing of the acquisition. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at their respective estimated fair values at the date of the acquisition. Any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Significant judgment is often required in estimating the fair value of assets acquired, particularly intangible assets. As a result, in the case of significant acquisitions we normally obtain the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist in estimating fair values of tangible and intangible assets. The fair value estimates are based on available historical information and on expectations and assumptions about the future, considering the
perspective of marketplace participants. While management believes those expectations and assumptions are reasonable, they are inherently uncertain. Unanticipated market or macroeconomic events and circumstances may occur, which could affect the accuracy or validity of the estimates and assumptions.
We reduce the carrying amounts of long-lived assets to their fair values when their carrying amount is determined to not be recoverable. We generally compare undiscounted estimated future cash flows of an asset or asset group to the carrying values of the asset or asset group for property, plant and equipment. If the undiscounted estimated future cash flows exceed the carrying values of the asset or asset group, no impairment is recognized. If the undiscounted estimated future cash flows are less than the carrying values of the asset or asset group, we write-down the asset or assets to their estimated fair values. The estimates of fair value are generally in the form of appraisal, or by discounting estimated future cash flows of the asset or asset group.
Determining the useful lives of intangible assets also requires management judgment. Certain brand intangibles are expected to have indefinite lives based on their history and our plans to continue to support and build the acquired brands, while other acquired intangible assets (e.g., customer relationships) are expected to have determinable useful lives. Our estimates of the useful lives of definite-lived intangible assets are primarily based upon historical experience, the competitive and macroeconomic environment, and our operating plans. The costs of definite-lived intangibles are amortized to expense over their estimated life.
We reduce the carrying amounts of indefinite-lived intangible assets, and goodwill to their fair values when the fair value of such assets is determined to be less than their carrying amounts (i.e., assets are deemed to be impaired). Fair value is estimated using a "relief from royalty" methodology for our indefinite-lived intangible assets and is typically estimated using a discounted cash flow method for our goodwill, which requires us to estimate the future cash flows anticipated to be generated by the particular reporting unit being tested for impairment as well as to select a discount rate to measure the present value of the anticipated cash flows. In certain circumstances, we also utilize a guideline public company method which is based on market multiples and our estimated EBITDA that considers public companies that are comparable to our reporting units. When determining future cash flow estimates under the guideline public company method or discounted cash flow method, we consider historical results adjusted to reflect current and anticipated operating conditions. Estimating future cash flows requires significant judgment by management in such areas as future economic conditions, industry-specific conditions, product pricing, and necessary capital expenditures. The use of different assumptions or estimates for selected EBITDA multiples and future cash flows could produce different impairment amounts (or none at all) for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. For further information on our indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill, see Note 1, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies", to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in this report.
As of May 31, 2026, we have goodwill of $8.12 billion, indefinite-lived intangibles of $1.25 billion and definite-lived intangibles of $577.4 million. Historically, we have experienced material impairments in brand intangibles and goodwill as a result of declining sales, reductions to our assumed royalty rates due to lower-than-expected profit margins, and other economic conditions such as increases to interest rates. In fiscal 2026, we recorded goodwill impairments of $2.38 billion in our Refrigerated & Frozen reporting unit. The remaining carrying value in our Refrigerated & Frozen reporting unit was approximately $4.7 billion as of May 31, 2026. This was the only reporting unit with 10% or less excess fair value over carrying value as of that date. For our Refrigerated & Frozen reporting unit, we selected a discount rate of 11.0% and a long-term growth rate of 1.5%
In fiscal 2026, 2025, and 2024, we recorded total indefinite-lived intangibles impairments of $547.2 million, $72.1 million, and $430.2 million, respectively, primarily related to brands acquired as part of the Pinnacle acquisition that were recorded at fair value in fiscal 2019. We continue to be susceptible to impairment charges in the future if our long-term sales forecasts, royalty rates, and other assumptions change as a result of lower than expected performance or other economic conditions. We will monitor these assumptions as management continues to achieve gross margin improvement and long-term sales growth. Discount rates, long-term growth rates, and royalty rates used to estimate the fair value of our domestic retail brands with 10% or less excess fair value over carrying amount as of the fiscal 2026 annual impairment test were as follows:
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Discount Rate |
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Long-Term Growth Rate |
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Royalty Rate |
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Carrying Amount |
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(in millions) |
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Minimum |
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Maximum |
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Minimum |
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Maximum |
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Minimum |
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Maximum |
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Brands (<10% cushion) |
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$ |
902.1 |
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11.50% |
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13.50% |
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0.0% |
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2.0% |
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1.0% |
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11.0% |
Assumptions used in impairment testing are made at a point in time and require significant judgment; therefore, they are subject to change based upon the facts and circumstances present at each annual impairment test date. Additionally, these assumptions are generally interdependent and do not change in isolation. However, as it is reasonably possible that changes in assumptions could occur, as a sensitivity measure, we have presented the estimated effects of isolated changes in discount rates, long-term growth rates, and royalty rates on the fair value of our reporting unit and brands with 10% or less excess fair value over carrying amount. These estimated
changes in fair value are not necessarily representative of the actual impairment that would be recorded in the event of a fair value decline.
If we had changed the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of our reporting unit and brands with 10% or less excess fair value over carrying amount as of the fiscal 2026 annual impairment test, these isolated changes, which are reasonably possible to occur, would have led to the following increase/(decrease) in the aggregate fair value of this reporting unit and certain brands (in millions):
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Discount Rate |
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Long-Term Growth Rate |
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Royalty Rate |
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50-Basis-Point |
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25-Basis-Point |
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100-Basis-Point |
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Increase |
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Decrease |
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Increase |
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Decrease |
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Increase |
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Decrease |
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Reporting unit |
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$ |
(120.0) |
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$ |
133.4 |
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$ |
45.0 |
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$ |
(42.7) |
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N/A |
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N/A |
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Brands (<10% cushion) |
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(40.4) |
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44.4 |
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14.0 |
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(10.7) |
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226.9 |
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(215.8) |
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses, to provide disaggregated disclosures of specific expense categories underlying certain income statement expense line items on an annual and interim basis. The disclosure requirements will be applied on a prospective basis, with the option to apply it retrospectively. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted. We are in the process of analyzing the impact of the ASU on our related disclosures.
In September 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-06, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, to modernize the outdated guidance for accounting for software costs by aligning the accounting with how software is developed today. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this ASU should be applied either prospectively, retrospectively, or utilizing a modified transition approach. We are in the process of analyzing the impact of the ASU on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In November 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-09, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), to more closely align financial reporting with the economics of an entity's risk management activities. The effective date for this standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively with an option to adopt the amendments for hedging relationships existing as of the date of adoption. We are in the process of analyzing the impact of the ASU on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In May 2026, the FASB issued ASU 2026-02, Environmental Credits and Environmental Credit Obligations (Topic 818), to improve the financial accounting for and disclosure of environmental credits and environmental credit obligations. The effective date for this standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are in the process of analyzing the impact of the ASU on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.