New York, February 13, 2026, 09:10 EST — Premarket
- US Foods shares were last indicated around $102 ahead of the open, near Thursday’s close
- The stock jumped 13.4% on Thursday after US Foods posted Q4 results and set 2026 growth targets
- Piper Sandler’s Brian Mullan cut the stock to Neutral, lifting his price target to $103
US Foods Holding Corp shares were little changed in premarket trading on Friday after Piper Sandler downgraded the foodservice distributor to neutral, flagging valuation after the stock’s sharp jump a day earlier. (Streetinsider)
The stock was last at $101.98 before the bell, roughly matching Thursday’s close after a 13.4% surge. On Thursday it opened at $89.42 and finished at $101.98 after touching $102.03, according to Yahoo Finance data. (Yahoo Finance)
The timing matters because US Foods is now trading near its recent highs, and investors are trying to decide whether margin gains can hold if restaurant demand cools. The company’s fourth-quarter update also landed in a market still sensitive to inflation and rate expectations. (Usfoods)
US Foods said late Thursday it grew fourth-quarter net sales 3.3% to $9.8 billion and lifted adjusted diluted earnings per share to $1.04 from $0.84 a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA, a profit measure that strips out some costs and one-off items, rose 11.1% to $490 million, the company said. (Usfoods)
Volume was mixed under the surface. Total case volume — the number of cases shipped, a key activity gauge in distribution — rose 0.8%, led by a 4.1% increase in independent restaurant case volume, while chain volume fell 3.4%, US Foods said. (Usfoods)
In an 8-K filing, the company attached the earnings release and confirmed the results covered the quarter and fiscal year ended Dec. 27, 2025. (SEC)
For fiscal 2026, US Foods guided to net sales growth of 4% to 6% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 9% to 13%, while projecting adjusted diluted EPS growth of 18% to 24%. The outlook includes a 53rd week that the company said should add about 1% to total case growth and adjusted EBITDA growth. (Usfoods)
The company also leaned on buybacks. US Foods repurchased 4.2 million shares for $327 million in the fourth quarter and bought back $934 million worth over the full year, leaving about $1.09 billion under its authorizations, it said. (Usfoods)
Cash generation improved, but leverage remains part of the story. US Foods reported $1.37 billion in operating cash flow for fiscal 2025 and net debt of $5.2 billion, equal to 2.7 times adjusted EBITDA. (Usfoods)
“We grew Adjusted EBITDA 11% to a record $1.9 billion,” CEO Dave Flitman said, calling 2025 a “strong start” to the company’s three-year plan. He also pointed to a “softer economic environment” in the release. (Usfoods)
Piper Sandler analyst Brian Mullan cut US Foods to neutral from overweight and set a $103 price target, according to StreetInsider. (Streetinsider)
Not everyone moved the same way. A cluster of firms — including Citi, BTIG, BMO Capital and Deutsche Bank — raised their price targets on Friday after the earnings report, according to TheFly. (Thefly)
Outside the stock-specific moves, traders were also working through U.S. inflation data released earlier on Friday. The Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 0.2% in January and 2.4% from a year earlier, with stock index futures steadying after the report. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Still, the risk case is not hard to sketch. Chain volumes are falling, and the company’s own commentary framed demand against a softer backdrop; any further slowdown in restaurant traffic could test the earnings targets and the market’s willingness to pay up after Thursday’s rerating. (Usfoods)
Investors get another checkpoint next week, when Flitman and CFO Dirk Locascio are scheduled to present at the CAGNY 2026 Conference on Feb. 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET. (Usfoods)
