Adjusted EBITDA Growth
Adjusted EBITDA of $27.0M, a 7% increase versus prior year (from $25.3M), demonstrating early profitability improvements from transformation initiatives.
Gross Margin Expansion
Consolidated gross margin improved 200 basis points to 27.9% year-over-year, driven by Project Apollo savings, plant consolidation, and improved product mix.
Project Apollo Early Savings and Run-Rate Target
Realized over $3M of net savings in Q1 from Project Apollo; plant consolidation on track to be complete in fiscal Q2 and management expects a $20M annual run-rate operating income benefit once fully implemented.
Strong Cash Generation and Balance Sheet
Generated approximately $36M in operating cash flow in the quarter, held ~$67M in cash, no long-term debt, and had ~$210M of borrowing capacity on the revolving credit facility.
Share Repurchase Activity and Authorization
Completed repurchase authorization by buying back $42M of stock in the quarter (just over 158,000 shares at an average ~$91.60) and announced a new $50M repurchase authorization; total repurchases since fiscal 2025 were just over 525,000 shares for ~$50M (avg ~$95).
Pretzel and Snack Portfolio Momentum
Foodservice soft pretzel sales grew 6.9% in the quarter and retail pretzel sales rose ~4% for the 13 weeks ending December; new formulations, packaging, and product launches contributed to gains.
Strong Frozen Novelties and Dippin' Dots Performance
Dogsters volumes grew over 20% driven by new item launches; Dippin' Dots sales increased approximately 4% fueled by retail growth, theater expansion, and amusement center placements.
Retail Segment Improvement and ICEE Rollout
Retail segment net sales increased 2.6% to $45.9M (driven by handheld volume recovery after prior capacity constraints); ICEE rollout to a large Southwest convenience operator completed and QSR test expanding with encouraging results.