Delivers ~13% Net Sales Growth
Company Updates 2026 Outlook; Raises Net Sales Guidance

BEDMINSTER, N.J., May 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freshpet, Inc. (“Freshpet” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: FRPT) today reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026.

First Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights Compared to Prior Year Period

• Net sales of $297.6 million, an increase of 13.1%.
• Gross margin of 40.5%, compared to the prior year period of 39.4%.
• Adjusted Gross Margin of 46.9%, compared to the prior year period of 45.7%.¹
• Net income of $48.5 million, compared to the prior year period net loss of $12.7 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $37.9 million, compared to the prior year period of $35.5 million.¹
  

"We are encouraged by our strong start to 2026, delivering first quarter sales growth in excess of our 2026 guidance and reinforcing our confidence in Freshpet's long-term growth opportunity. Our performance reflects the strength of our differentiated product offerings, our manufacturing scale and expertise, our extensive omnichannel marketing and distribution capabilities, and our ability to adapt in a dynamic environment to drive market share gains and lead the growing fresh pet food segment," commented Billy Cyr, Freshpet’s Chief Executive Officer. "As strong as our performance is, we remain mindful of ongoing macroeconomic volatility and inflation. We are modestly raising our net sales guidance to reflect our strong start to the year, while balancing broader economic risks. We have a large and expanding addressable market, continued momentum with customers and consumers, and early progress on our operational and technology initiatives. We believe we are well positioned to drive sustainable, profitable growth and long-term value creation while fulfilling our mission to help dogs and cats live longer, happier lives with the people who love them."

First Quarter 2026

Net sales increased 13.1% to $297.6 million for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $263.2 million in the prior year period. The increase in net sales was primarily driven by volume gains of 14.6%, partially offset by unfavorable price/mix of 1.5%.

Gross profit was $120.7 million, or 40.5% as a percentage of net sales, for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $103.8 million, or 39.4% as a percentage of net sales, in the prior year period. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased primarily due to lower input costs and improved leverage on plant expenses. For the first quarter of 2026, Adjusted Gross Profit was $139.6 million, or 46.9% as a percentage of net sales, compared to $120.2 million, or 45.7% as a percentage of net sales, in the prior year period.¹

Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) were $116.3 million, or 39.1% as a percentage of net sales, for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $115.3 million, or 43.8% as a percentage of net sales, in the prior year period. SG&A as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to a decrease in non-recurring charges that occurred in the first quarter of 2025, partially offset by increased media spend as a percentage of net sales. Adjusted SG&A for the first quarter of 2026 was $101.7 million, or 34.2% as a percentage of net sales, compared to $84.7 million, or 32.2% as a percentage of net sales, in the prior year period.¹

Net income was $48.5 million for the first quarter of 2026 compared to a net loss of $12.7 million in the prior year period. The increase in net income was due to the gain on equity investment as a result of the sale of 100% of our non-controlling interest in a privately held company following its acquisition by a third party, contributions from higher sales, and decreased non-recurring SG&A charges, partially offset by the increase in income tax expense.

Adjusted EBITDA was $37.9 million for the first quarter of 2026 compared to $35.5 million in the prior year period.¹ The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was a result of increased Adjusted Gross Profit, partially offset by higher Adjusted SG&A.

Balance Sheet

As of March 31, 2026, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $381.4 million with $397.9 million of debt outstanding, net of $4.6 million of unamortized debt issuance costs. Cash and cash equivalents increased $103.4 million compared to $278.0 million as of December 31, 2025, primarily as a result of the $95.5 million of cash proceeds received from the sale of our equity investment. For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, cash from operations was $40.3 million, an increase of $35.5 million compared to the prior year period.

The Company will utilize its balance sheet to support its ongoing capital needs in connection with its long-term capacity plan.

Outlook

For full year 2026, the Company is updating its guidance and now expects the following:

• Net sales growth in the range of 8% to 11%, compared to an increase of 7% to 10% in the previous guidance;
• Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $205 million to $215 million, unchanged from the previous guidance; and
• Positive free cash flow with capital expenditures of ~$150 million, unchanged from the previous guidance.
  

The Company does not provide guidance for net income, the U.S. GAAP measure most directly comparable to Adjusted EBITDA, and similarly cannot provide a reconciliation between its forecasted Adjusted EBITDA and net income metrics without unreasonable effort due to the unavailability of reliable estimates for certain components of net income and the respective reconciliations, including the timing of and amount of costs of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expenses. These items are not within the Company's control and may vary greatly between periods and could significantly impact future results.

Conference Call & Earnings Presentation Webcast Information
As previously announced, today, May 6, 2026, the Company will host a conference call beginning at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time with members of its leadership team. The conference call webcast will be available live over the Internet through the "Investors" section of the Company's website at www.freshpet.com. To participate on the live call, listeners in North America may dial (877) 407-0792 and international listeners may dial (201) 689-8263; the passcode is 13760132.

About Freshpet
Freshpet's mission is to help dogs and cats live longer, happier, healthier lives with the people who love them. Developed by on-staff Veterinary Nutritionists, Veterinarians and Food Scientists, recipes are made from whole ingredients, like fresh meats, vegetables and fruits, and are cooked in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve their natural goodness and made at our Freshpet Kitchens. Freshpet foods and treats are kept refrigerated until they arrive at Freshpet Fridges in local markets or delivered directly to consumers.

Freshpet is available in select grocery, mass, digital, pet specialty, and club retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe, as well as online in the U.S. From the care they take to source their ingredients and make their food, to the moment it reaches your home, Freshpet's commitment to integrity, transparency and social responsibility is a point of pride.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on our current expectations and assumptions. These include statements regarding our confidence in Freshpet's long-term growth opportunity, our net sales guidance, our position to drive sustainable, profitable growth and long-term value. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, those identified in connection with such statements, the implementation of our new technologies in the time frame, at the rate, at the cost, or with anticipated efficiencies and impact on product quality we expect, economic uncertainty, changes in rates of pet acquisition, the launch of new competitive products, impact of tariffs, fuel, energy and ingredient pricing, effectiveness of media campaigns, success rate of new chillers, and most prominently, the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K and in quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Freshpet undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Freshpet uses the following non-GAAP financial measures in its financial communications. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as supplements to the U.S. GAAP reported measures, should not be considered replacements for, or superior to, the U.S. GAAP measures and may not be comparable to similarly named measures used by other companies. Such financial measures are not financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

• Adjusted Gross Profit
• Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of net sales (Adjusted Gross Margin)
• Adjusted SG&A Expenses
• Adjusted SG&A Expenses as a percentage of net sales
• EBITDA
• Adjusted EBITDA
• Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales (Adjusted EBITDA Margin)
• Free Cash Flow

Adjusted Gross Profit: Freshpet defines Adjusted Gross Profit as gross profit before depreciation expense, non-cash share-based compensation and loss on disposal of manufacturing equipment.

Adjusted SG&A Expenses: Freshpet defines Adjusted SG&A as SG&A expenses before depreciation and amortization expense, non-cash share-based compensation, loss on disposal of equipment, distributor transition costs, legal obligation and international business charges.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA: EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus depreciation and amortization expense, interest expense net of interest income and income tax expense, and Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA less gain on equity investment, plus non-cash share-based compensation expense, loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment, distributor transition costs, legal obligation, and international business charges.

Free Cash Flow: Freshpet defines Free Cash Flow as net cash flows provided by operating activities less capital expenditures.

Management believes that the non-GAAP financial measures are meaningful to investors because they provide a view of the Company with respect to ongoing operating results. The non-GAAP financial measures are shown as supplemental disclosures in this release because they are widely used by the investment community for analysis and comparative evaluation. They also provide additional metrics to evaluate the Company’s operations and, when considered with both the Company’s GAAP results and the reconciliation to their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures, provide a more complete understanding of the Company’s business than could be obtained absent this disclosure. The non-GAAP measures are not and should not be considered an alternative to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures or any other figure calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, or as an indicator of operating performance. The Company’s calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures may differ from methods used by other companies. Management believes that the non-GAAP measures are important to an understanding of the Company's overall operating results in the periods presented. The non-GAAP financial measures are not recognized in accordance with U.S. GAAP and should not be viewed as an alternative to U.S. GAAP measures of performance.

¹ Adjusted Gross Margin, Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted SG&A, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-GAAP financial measures. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for how the Company defines these measures and the financial tables that accompany this release for reconciliations of these measures to the closest comparable GAAP measures.
² Capital expenditures is equivalent to the amount included in "Acquisitions of property, plant and equipment, software and deposits on equipment" on our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the reported period.

Investor Contact:Rachel UlshRulsh@freshpet.comMedia Contact:Press@freshpet.com