The Company delivered results in line with expectations

HOUSTON, Feb. 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY) today announced financial results for its 13-week second fiscal quarter ended December 29, 2018.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2019 Highlights

• Sales increased 2.5% to $14.8 billion
• Gross profit increased 2.7% to $2.8 billion; gross margin increased 4 basis points
• Operating income decreased 14.5% to $451.9 million; adjusted¹ operating income increased 4.8% to $603.3 million
• EPS decreased $0.03 to $0.51; adjusted¹ EPS decreased $0.03 to $0.75

First Half Fiscal 2019 Highlights

• Sales increased 3.2% to $30.0 billion
• Gross profit increased 3.3% to $5.7 billion; gross margin increased 3 basis points
• Operating income decreased 5.9% to $1.1 billion; adjusted¹ operating income increased 5.0% to $1.3 billion
• EPS increased $0.10 to $1.33; adjusted¹ EPS increased $0.14 to $1.66

“Our second quarter results were in line with our expectations,” said Tom Bené, Sysco’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We saw solid topline growth, while we continue making investments in our business, particularly in our international segment. We remain focused on exceeding our customers’ expectations, while continuing to manage costs, and anticipate seeing additional benefit from our cost savings initiatives in the second half of this fiscal year.”

In order to drive continued growth and value creation, Sysco recently implemented organizational and executive leadership changes, which further align the company with its customer first operating model and streamline the business. This reorganization results in an approximate 10 percent reduction in salaried corporate support positions.

¹Earnings Per Share (EPS) are shown on a diluted basis unless otherwise specified. Adjusted financial results exclude certain items, which primarily include restructuring costs, acquisition-related costs, and transformational project costs. Reconciliations of all non-GAAP measures are included in this release.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2019 Results

U.S. Foodservice Operations

Sales for the second quarter were $10.1 billion, an increase of 4.2% compared to the same period last year. Local case volume within U.S. Broadline operations grew 3.3% for the second quarter, of which 2.4% was organic, while total case volume within U.S. Broadline operations grew 2.9%, of which 2.0% was organic.

Gross profit increased 4.5% to $2.0 billion, and gross margin increased 6 basis points to 19.8%, compared to the same period last year. Food cost inflation was 1.4% in U.S. Broadline, as measured by the estimated change in Sysco’s product costs, primarily in the frozen potato, meat, paper and produce categories.

Operating expenses increased $56.5 million, or 4.7%, compared to the same period last year, due mainly to supply chain costs in both warehouse and transportation.

Operating income was $737.5 million, an increase of $29.9 million, or 4.2%, compared to the same period last year.

International Foodservice Operations

Sales for the second quarter were $2.9 billion, an increase of 0.8% compared to the same period last year. The impact to total Sysco sales of foreign exchange during the quarter was negative 0.7%.

Gross profit decreased 1.6% to $589.9 million, and gross margin decreased 49 basis points to 20.4%, compared to the same period last year.

Operating expenses increased $57.8 million, or 10.6%, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating expenses decreased $13.8 million, or 2.6%, compared to the same period last year, due mainly to supply chain cost challenges.

Operating loss was $14.9 million, a decrease of $67.5 million, or 128.4%, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating income was $83.1 million, an increase of approximately $4.0 million, or 5.1%, compared to the same period last year. The impact to total Sysco operating income of foreign exchange during the quarter was negative 0.5%.

First Half Fiscal 2019 Results

U.S. Foodservice Operations

Sales for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019 were $20.5 billion, an increase of 4.9% compared to the same period last year. Local case volume within U.S. Broadline operations grew 4.2% for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019, of which 3.0% was organic, while total case volume within U.S. Broadline operations grew 4.3%, of which 3.2% was organic.

Gross profit increased 4.9% to $4.1 billion, and gross margin remained flat at 20.0%, compared to the same period last year. U.S. Broadline had slight food cost inflation at 0.8%, primarily in the frozen, paper and dry categories, which was partially offset by deflation in poultry.

Operating expenses increased $126.7 million, or 5.3%, compared to the same period last year, due mainly to increased supply chain and selling expenses.

Operating income was $1.6 billion, an increase of $63.6 million, or 4.3%, compared to the same period last year.

International Foodservice Operations

Sales for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019 were $5.8 billion, an increase of 0.7% compared to the same period last year. The impact to total Sysco sales of foreign exchange during the quarter was negative 0.6%.

Gross profit decreased 0.8% to $1.2 billion, and gross margin decreased 30 basis points to 20.7%, compared to the same period last year.

Operating expenses increased $68.2 million, or 6.3%, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating expenses decreased $13.5 million, or 1.3%, compared to the same period last year, due mainly to investments in supply chain transformation and business integration and supply chain cost challenges.

Operating income was $51.9 million, a decrease of $77.5 million, or 59.9%, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating income was $178.4 million, an increase of approximately $4.2 million, or 2.4%, compared to the same period last year. The impact to total Sysco operating income of foreign exchange during the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019 was negative 0.4%.

Capital Spending and Cash Flow

Cash flow from operations was $917.8 million for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019, which was $15.4 million lower compared to the same period last year. Free cash flow for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019 was $700.9 million, which was $22.4 million higher compared to the prior year.

Capital expenditures, net of proceeds from sales of plant and equipment, totaled $216.9 million for the first 26 weeks of fiscal 2019, which was $37.8 million lower compared to the same period last year.

Conference Call & Webcast

Sysco will host a conference call to review the Company’s second quarter fiscal 2019 financial results on Monday, February 4, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. A live webcast of the call, accompanying slide presentation and a copy of this news release will be available online at investors.sysco.com.

Key Highlights:

	13-Week Period Ended			26-Week Period Ended
Financial Comparison:	December 29, 2018	December 30, 2017	Change	December 29, 2018	December 30, 2017	Change
Sales	$14.8 billion	$14.4 billion	2.5%	$30.0 billion	$29.1 billion	3.2%
Gross Profit	$2.8 billion	$2.7 billion	2.7%	$5.7 billion	$5.5 billion	3.3%
Gross Margin	18.77%	18.73%	4 bps	18.93%	18.90%	3 bps
GAAP:
Operating Expenses	$2.3 billion	$2.2 billion	6.9%	$4.6 billion	$4.3 billion	5.8%
Certain Items	$151.4 million	$47.2 million	221.0%	$215.0 million	$86.0 million	150.1%
Operating Income	$451.9 million	$528.6 million	-14.5%	$1.1 billion	$1.1 billion	-5.9%
Operating Margin	3.06%	3.67%	-61 bps		3.95%	-35 bps
Net Earnings	$267.4 million	$284.1 million	-5.9%	$698.4 million	$651.8 million	7.2%
Diluted Earnings Per Share	$0.51	$0.54	-5.6%	$1.33	$1.23	8.1%
Non-GAAP(1):
Operating Expenses	$2.2 billion	$2.1 billion	2.1%	$4.4 billion	$4.3 billion	2.8%
Operating Income	$603.3 million	$575.7 million	4.8%	$1.3 billion	$1.2 billion	5.0%
Operating Margin	4.09%	3.99%	9 bps	4.32%	4.25%	7 bps
Net Earnings	$393.5 million	$411.9 million	-4.5%	$872.7 million	$806.4 million	8.2%
Diluted Earnings Per Share (2)	$0.75	$0.78	-4.0%	$1.66	$1.52	9.0%
Case Growth:
U.S. Broadline	2.9%	3.5%		4.3%	1.8%
Local	3.3%	4.8%		4.2%	3.8%
Sysco Brand Sales as a % of Cases:
U.S. Broadline	37.82%	37.42%	40 bps	38.11%	37.84%	27 bps
Local	46.51%	45.92%	59 bps	46.89%	46.26%	63 bps

Note:

⁽¹⁾   A reconciliation of non-GAAP measures is included in this release.

Individual components in the table above may not sum to the totals due to the rounding.

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 69,000 associates, the company operates approximately 330 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 600,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2018 that ended June 30, 2018, the company generated sales of more than $58 billion.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sysco. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s Internet home page at investors.sysco.com, which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. Investors should also follow us at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock and download the Sysco IR App, available on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Market. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this presentation or in our earnings call for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 that look forward in time or that express management’s beliefs, expectations or hopes are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. These statements include: our expectations regarding our ability to strategically acquire companies in existing markets, including our ability to grow our share with local operators, achieve supply chain synergies and fill potential gaps in our product offerings and capabilities; our expectations that our recently implemented organizational and executive leadership changes will increase agility, reduce costs and accelerate decision making; our expectations that our investments in technology and our business will allow for future growth and exceptional customer service; our expectations regarding softer local case volume over the next quarter; our expectations regarding initiatives that will drive cost improvement and enhance customer service, including (i) the Finance Transformation Roadmap and our expectation that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, (ii) Smart Spending and our expectation that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, (iii) Canadian Regionalization and our expectation that this initiative will contribute to increased cost savings and that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019, and (iv) Administrative Expenses and our expectation that this initiative, which includes our new streamlined organizational and business unit structure, will drive costs out of the business and that we will receive financial benefits from this initiative in the second half of fiscal 2019; our expectations regarding our ability to increase profitability for SYGMA; our expectations regarding our ability to leverage operating expense growth to gross profit growth; our expectations regarding our Cutting Edge Solutions innovation platform, including the launch of new products; our expectations regarding our investments across Europe, including, but not limited to, the strengthening of our existing product portfolio in our Ireland business and the integration of Brake France and Davigel to Sysco France, including our ability to continue to succeed in the French marketplace and our expectation that we will see benefit from this integration in our France business beginning in fiscal 2020; our ability to deliver against our strategic priorities, which we believe will provide excellent customer service and improve our overall performance; statements regarding economic trends in the United States and abroad; our expectations regarding the long-term potential for our hospitality segment; our expectations regarding our ability to accelerate emphasis on administrative cost reductions, including pulling forward some of our multi-year cost savings opportunities and finding new ways to achieve incremental administrative cost savings; our expectation regarding our effective tax rate for fiscal 2019; and our expectations with respect to achieving our three-year financial targets through fiscal 2020, including our expectation that our three-year plan gap will be approximately 150 basis points.

The success of our plans and expectations regarding our operating performance, including expectations regarding our three-year financial objectives, are subject to the general risks associated with our business, including the risks of interruption of supplies due to lack of long-term contracts, severe weather, crop conditions, work stoppages, intense competition, technology disruptions, dependence on large, long-term regional and national customers, inflation risks, the impact of fuel prices, adverse publicity, labor issues, political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, transport capacity and costs and other factors relating to foreign trade, any or all of which could delay our receipt of product or increase our input costs. Risks and uncertainties also include risks impacting the economy generally, including the risks that the current general economic conditions will deteriorate, or consumer confidence in the economy or consumer spending, particularly on food-away-from-home, may decline. Market conditions may not improve. Competition and the impact of GPOs may reduce our margins and make it difficult for us to maintain our market share, growth rate and profitability. We may not be able to fully compensate for increases in fuel costs, and fuel hedging arrangements intended to contain fuel costs could result in above market fuel costs. Our ability to meet our long-term strategic objectives depends on our ability to grow gross profit, leverage our supply chain costs and reduce administrative costs. This will depend largely on the success of our various business initiatives, including efforts related to revenue management, expense management, our digital e-commerce strategy and any efforts related to restructuring or the reduction of administrative costs. There are various risks related to these efforts, including the risk that if sales from our locally managed customers do not grow at the same rate as sales from regional and national customers, or if we are unable to continue to accelerate local case growth, our gross margins may decline; the risk that we are unlikely to be able to predict inflation over the long term, and lower inflation is likely to produce lower gross profit; the risk that our efforts to modify truck routing, including our small truck initiative, in order to reduce outbound transportation costs may not be effective; the risk that our efforts to mitigate increases in warehouse costs may be unsuccessful; the risk that we may not be able to accelerate and/or identify additional administrative cost savings in order to compensate for any gross profit or supply chain cost leverage challenges; the risk that these efforts may not provide the expected benefits in our anticipated time frame, if at all, and may prove costlier than expected; the risk that the actual costs of any initiatives may be greater or less than currently expected; and the risk of adverse effects to our business, results of operations and liquidity if past and future undertakings, and the associated changes to our business, do not prove to be cost effective or do not result in the cost savings and other benefits at the levels that we anticipate. Our plans related to and the timing of any initiatives are subject to change at any time based on management’s subjective evaluation of our overall business needs. If we are unable to realize the anticipated benefits from our efforts, we could become cost disadvantaged in the marketplace, and our competitiveness and our profitability could decrease. Adverse publicity about us or lack of confidence in our products could negatively impact our reputation and reduce earnings. Capital expenditures may vary based on changes in business plans and other factors, including risks related to the implementation of various initiatives, the timing and successful completion of acquisitions, construction schedules and the possibility that other cash requirements could result in delays or cancellations of capital spending. Periods of significant or prolonged inflation or deflation, either overall or in certain product categories, can have a negative impact on us and our customers, as high food costs can reduce consumer spending in the food-away-from-home market, and may negatively impact our sales, gross profit, operating income and earnings, and periods of deflation can be difficult to manage effectively. Fluctuations in inflation and deflation, as well as fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies, are beyond our control and subject to broader market forces. Expanding into international markets presents unique challenges and risks, including compliance with local laws, regulations and customs and the impact of local political and economic conditions, including the impact of Brexit and the “yellow vest” protests in France against a fuel tax increase and the French government, and such expansion efforts may not be successful. Any business that we acquire may not perform as expected, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions. Expectations regarding the financial statement impact of any acquisitions may change based on management’s subjective evaluation. Meeting our dividend target objectives depends on our level of earnings, available cash and the success of our various strategic initiatives. Changes in applicable tax laws or regulations and the resolution of tax disputes could negatively affect our financial results. We rely on technology in our business and any cybersecurity incident, other technology disruption or delay in implementing new technology could negatively affect our business and our relationships with customers. For a discussion of additional factors impacting Sysco’s business, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2018, as filed with the SEC, and our subsequent filings with the SEC, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of fiscal 2019. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)
(In Thousands, Except for Share and Per Share Data)
		13-Week Period Ended						26-Week Period Ended
		Dec. 29, 2018			Dec. 30, 2017			Dec. 29, 2018			Dec. 30, 2017
Sales		$	14,765,707		$	14,411,490		$	29,980,986		$	29,061,914
Cost of sales			11,993,995			11,712,104			24,305,489			23,568,860
Gross profit			2,771,712			2,699,386			5,675,497			5,493,054
Operating expenses			2,319,817			2,170,834			4,595,462			4,345,137
Operating income			451,895			528,552			1,080,035			1,147,917
Interest expense			87,113			85,986			176,129			166,870
Other (income) expense, net			10,197			(9,162)			11,329			(17,137)
Earnings before income taxes			354,585			451,728			892,577			998,184
Income taxes			87,205			167,615			194,155			346,431
Net earnings		$	267,380		$	284,113		$	698,422		$	651,753
Net earnings:
	Basic earnings per share	$	0.52		$	0.55		$	1.34		$	1.24
	Diluted earnings per share		0.51			0.54			1.33			1.23
Average shares outstanding			517,871,328			521,284,182			519,363,973			524,286,931
Diluted shares outstanding			524,600,510			527,249,587			526,817,501			530,156,510

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(In Thousands, Except for Share Data)

			December 29, 2018			June 30, 2018			December 30, 2017
ASSETS
Current assets
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	744,808		$	552,325		$	961,067
	Accounts and notes receivable, less allowances of $44,418, $25,768 and $52,588		4,147,367			4,073,723			3,953,643
	Inventories		3,310,312			3,125,413			3,174,012
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		212,289			187,880			183,446
	Prepaid income taxes		23,007			64,112			–
	Total current assets		8,437,783			8,003,453			8,272,168
Plant and equipment at cost, less depreciation			4,375,550			4,521,660			4,366,292
Other long-term assets
	Goodwill		3,875,973			3,955,485			4,001,020
	Intangibles, less amortization		899,939			979,812			1,056,335
	Deferred income taxes		77,191			83,666			92,950
	Other assets		527,740			526,328			430,605
	Total other long-term assets		5,380,843			5,545,291			5,580,910
Total assets		$	18,194,176		$	18,070,404		$	18,219,370
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
	Notes payable	$	6,101		$	4,176		$	6,629
	Accounts payable		4,230,215			4,136,482			3,745,817
	Accrued expenses		1,723,246			1,608,966			1,567,362
	Accrued income taxes		4,571			56,793			128,446
	Current maturities of long-term debt		786,037			782,329			534,716
	Total current liabilities		6,750,170			6,588,746			5,982,970
Other liabilities
	Long-term debt		8,019,846			7,540,765			8,312,489
	Deferred income taxes		233,601			319,124			143,794
	Other long-term liabilities		987,566			1,077,163			1,477,991
	Total other liabilities		9,241,013			8,937,052			9,934,274
Commitments and contingencies
Noncontrolling interest			35,357			37,649			33,524
Shareholders’ equity
	Preferred stock, par value $1 per share, Authorized 1,500,000 shares, issued none		–			–			–
	Common stock, par value $1 per share, Authorized 2,000,000,000 shares, issued 765,174,900 shares		765,175			765,175			765,175
	Paid-in capital		1,465,461			1,383,619			1,361,471
	Retained earnings		10,654,711			10,348,628			9,708,261
	Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(1,524,407)			(1,409,269)			(1,116,028)
	Treasury stock at cost 251,658,719, 244,533,248 and 243,764,879		(9,193,304)			(8,581,196)			(8,450,277)
	Total shareholders’ equity		2,167,636			2,506,957			2,268,602
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$	18,194,176		$	18,070,404		$	18,219,370

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
(In Thousands)

			26-Week Period Ended
				December 29, 2018			December 30, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
	Net earnings		$	698,422		$	651,753
	Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash provided by  operating activities:
		Share-based compensation expense		54,199			51,612
		Depreciation and amortization		392,413			370,316
		Amortization of debt issuance and other debt-related costs		10,814			14,395
		Loss on extinguishment of debt		–			–
		Deferred income taxes		(89,098)			37,005
		Provision for losses on receivables		27,647			20,151
		Other non-cash items		411			12,986
	Additional changes in certain assets and liabilities, net of effect of businesses acquired:
		(Increase) decrease in receivables		(137,314)			99,713
		(Increase) in inventories		(204,437)			(133,374)
		(Increase) in prepaid expenses and other current assets		(31,465)			(33,484)
		Increase (decrease) in accounts payable		131,715			(286,899)
		Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses		92,100			(21,802)
		(Decrease) increase in accrued income taxes		(11,117)			120,397
		(Increase) in other assets		(21,138)			(29,508)
		Increase in other long-term liabilities		4,638			59,943
	Net cash provided by operating activities			917,790			933,204
Cash flows from investing activities:
	Additions to plant and equipment			(223,825)			(258,577)
	Proceeds from sales of plant and equipment			6,901			3,878
	Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired			(88)			(147,644)
	Net cash used for investing activities			(217,012)			(402,343)
Cash flows from financing activities:
	Bank and commercial paper borrowings (repayments) net			109,900			630,265
	Other debt borrowings			383,163			5,465
	Other debt repayments			(16,617)			(10,368)
	Tender and redemption premiums for senior notes			–			–
	Proceeds from stock option exercises			137,896			172,298
	Treasury stock purchases			(739,205)			(750,532)
	Dividends paid			(379,216)			(346,920)
	Other financing activities			(6,653)			(10,136)
	Net cash used for financing activities			(510,732)			(309,928)
Effect of exchange rates on cash				(8,900)			23,510
Net (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (1)				181,146			244,443
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period				715,844			869,502
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period (1)			$	896,990		$	1,113,945
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
	Cash paid during the period for:
		Interest	$	158,574		$	136,279
		Income taxes		328,574			75,841

(1) Change includes cash paid for shares withheld to cover taxes, debt issuance costs and other financing activities.
(2) Change includes restricted cash included within other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries                                                  
Non-GAAP Reconciliation (Unaudited)                                                                                                                 
Impact of Certain Items                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
Our discussion below of our results includes certain non-GAAP financial measures that we believe provide important perspective with respect to underlying business trends.  Other than free cash flow, any non-GAAP financial measures will be denoted as adjusted measures and exclude the impact from restructuring and transformational project costs consisting of: (1) expenses associated with our various transformation initiatives; (2) severance and facility closure charges; and (3) restructuring charges.

The non-GAAP financial measures presented in this report also exclude the impact of the following acquisition-related items: (1) intangible amortization expense and (2) integration costs.

The second quarter fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 items described above and excluded from our non-GAAP measures are collectively referred to as “Certain Items.” All acquisition-related costs in fiscal 2019 and 2018 that have been excluded relate to the fiscal 2017 acquisition of Cucina Lux Investments Limited (the Brakes Acquisition). In addition, with respect to the adjusted return on invested capital targets, our invested capital is adjusted for the accumulation of debt incurred for the Brakes Acquisition that would not have been borrowed absent this acquisition.

Management believes that adjusting its operating expenses, operating income, interest expense, net earnings and diluted earnings per share to remove these Certain Items, provides an important perspective with respect to our underlying business trends and results and provides meaningful supplemental information to both management and investors that (1) is indicative of the performance of the company’s underlying operations, facilitating comparisons on a year-over-year basis and (2) removes those items that are difficult to predict and are often unanticipated and that, as a result, are difficult to include in analysts’ financial models and our investors’ expectations with any degree of specificity.

Although Sysco has a history of growth through acquisitions, the Brakes Group was significantly larger than the companies historically acquired by Sysco, with a proportionately greater impact on Sysco’s consolidated financial statements.  Accordingly, Sysco is excluding from its non-GAAP financial measures for the relevant period solely those acquisition costs specific to the Brakes acquisition.  We believe this approach significantly enhances the comparability of Sysco’s results for fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018.

The company uses these non-GAAP measures when evaluating its financial results, as well as for internal planning and forecasting purposes.  These financial measures should not be used as a substitute for GAAP measures in assessing the company’s results of operations for periods presented.  An analysis of any non-GAAP financial measure should be used in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP.  As a result, in the table below, each period presented is adjusted for the impact described above.  In the table below, individual components of diluted earnings per share may not add to the total presented due to rounding.  Adjusted diluted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net earnings divided by diluted shares outstanding. 

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries  Non-GAAP Reconciliation  (Unaudited) Impact of Certain Items   (In Thousands, Except for Share and Per Share Data)
		13-Week Period Ended Dec. 29, 2018			13-Week Period Ended Dec. 30, 2017			Period Change in Dollars		Period % Change
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	2,319,817		$	2,170,834		$	148,983		6.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		(134,436)			(21,377)			(113,059)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		(17,008)			(25,799)			8,791		-34.1%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	2,168,373		$	2,123,658		$	44,715		2.1%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	451,895		$	528,552		$	(76,657)		-14.5%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		134,436			21,377			113,059		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		17,008			25,799			(8,791)		-34.1%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	603,339		$	575,728		$	27,611		4.8%
Net earnings (GAAP)	$	267,380		$	284,113		$	(16,733)		-5.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		134,436			21,377			113,059		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		17,008			25,799			(8,791)		-34.1%
Tax impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(34,886)			(5,691)			(29,195)		NM
Tax impact of acquisition-related costs (3)		(5,611)			(6,110)			499		-8.2%
Impact of US transition tax		15,154			115,000			(99,846)		-86.8%
Impact of US balance sheet remeasurement from tax law change		–			(14,477)			14,477		NM
Impact of France, U.K. and Sweden tax law changes		–			(8,137)			8,137		NM
Net earnings adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	393,481		$	411,874		$	(18,393)		-4.5%
Diluted earnings per share (GAAP)	$	0.51		$	0.54		$	(0.03)		-5.6%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		0.26			0.04			0.22		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		0.03			0.05			(0.02)		-40.0%
Tax impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(0.07)			(0.01)			(0.06)		NM
Tax impact of acquisition-related costs (3)		(0.01)			(0.01)			–		0.0%
Impact of US transition tax		0.03			0.22			(0.19)		-86.4%
Impact of US balance sheet remeasurement from tax law change		–			(0.03)			0.03		NM
Impact of France and U.K. tax law changes		–			(0.02)			0.02		NM
Diluted EPS adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP) (4)	$	0.75		$	0.78		$	(0.03)		-4.0%
Diluted shares outstanding		524,600,510			527,249,587
(1) Fiscal 2019 includes $53 million related to various transformation initiative costs, primarily consisting of changes to our business technology strategy, of which $17 million relates to accelerated depreciation related to software that is being replaced, and $81 million related to severance, restructuring and facility closure charges in Europe and Canada, of which $55 million relates to our France restructuring as part of our integration of Brake France and Davigel into Sysco France. Fiscal 2018 includes $16 million related to business technology costs and professional fees on three-year financial objectives and $6 million related to restructuring charges.
(2) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include $18 million and $19 million, respectively, related to intangible amortization expense from the Brakes Acquisition, which is included in the results of Brakes. Fiscal 2018 includes $5 million in integration costs.
(3) The tax impact of adjustments for Certain Items are calculated by multiplying the pretax impact of each Certain Item by the statutory rates in effect for each jurisdiction where the Certain Item was incurred.
(4) Individual components of diluted earnings per share may not add to the total presented due to rounding. Total diluted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net earnings divided by diluted shares outstanding.
NM represents that the percentage change is not meaningful.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries Non-GAAP Reconciliation  (Unaudited) Impact of Certain Items  (In Thousands, Except for Share and Per Share Data)
		26-Week Period Ended Dec. 29, 2018			26-Week Period Ended Dec. 30, 2017			Period Change in Dollars		Period % Change
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	4,595,462		$	4,345,137		$	250,325		5.8%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		(175,339)			(40,430)			(134,909)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		(39,645)			(45,545)			5,900		-13.0%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	4,380,478		$	4,259,162		$	121,316		2.8%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	1,080,035		$	1,147,917		$	(67,882)		-5.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		175,339			40,430			134,909		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		39,645			45,545			(5,900)		-13.0%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	1,295,019		$	1,233,892		$	61,127		5.0%
Net earnings (GAAP)	$	698,422		$	651,753		$	46,669		7.2%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		175,339			40,430			134,909		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		39,645			45,545			(5,900)		-13.0%
Tax impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(45,560)			(12,634)			(32,926)		NM
Tax impact of acquisition-related costs (3)		(10,302)			(11,108)			806		-7.3%
Impact of US transition tax		15,154			115,000			(99,846)		-86.8%
Impact of US balance sheet remeasurement from tax law change		–			(14,477)			14,477		NM
Impact of France, U.K. and Sweden tax law changes		–			(8,137)			8,137		NM
Net earnings adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	872,698		$	806,372		$	66,326		8.2%
Diluted earnings per share (GAAP)	$	1.33		$	1.23		$	0.10		8.1%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		0.33			0.08			0.25		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		0.08			0.09			(0.01)		-11.1%
Tax impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(0.09)			(0.02)			(0.07)		NM
Tax impact of acquisition-related costs (3)		(0.02)			(0.02)			–		0.0%
Impact of US transition tax		0.03			0.22			(0.19)		-86.4%
Impact of US balance sheet remeasurement from tax law change		–			(0.03)			0.03		NM
Impact of France, U.K. and Sweden tax law changes		–			(0.02)			0.02		NM
Diluted EPS adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP) (4)	$	1.66		$	1.52		$	0.14		9.0%
Diluted shares outstanding		526,817,501			530,156,510
(1) Fiscal 2019 includes $79 million related to various transformation initiative costs, primarily consisting of changes to our business technology strategy, of which $17 million relates to accelerated depreciation related to software that is being replaced, and $96 million related to severance, restructuring and facility closure charges in Europe and Canada, of which $56 million relates to our France restructuring as part of our integration of Brake France and Davigel into Sysco France. Fiscal 2018 includes $29 million related to business technology costs and professional fees on three-year financial objectives and $11 million related to restructuring charges.
(2) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include $39 million and $31 million, respectively, related to intangible amortization expense from the Brakes Acquisition, which is included in the results of Brakes, and $1 million and $10 million, respectively, related to integration costs.
(3) The tax impact of adjustments for Certain Items are calculated by multiplying the pretax impact of each Certain Item by the statutory rates in effect for each jurisdiction where the Certain Item was incurred.
(4) Individual components of diluted earnings per share may not add to the total presented due to rounding. Total diluted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net earnings divided by diluted shares outstanding.
NM represents that the percentage change is not meaningful.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries        Segment Results  Non-GAAP Reconciliation  (Unaudited)  Impact of Certain Items on Applicable Segments  (In Thousands, Except for Share and Per Share Data)
	13-Week Period Ended Dec. 29, 2018			13-Week Period Ended Dec. 30, 2017				Period Change in Dollars		Period %/bps Change
U.S. Foodservice Operations *
Sales (GAAP)	$	10,087,105		$	9,681,225		$	405,880		4.2%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		2,001,819			1,915,466			86,353		4.5%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		19.85%			19.79%					6 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	1,264,342		$	1,207,885		$	56,457		4.7%
Operating income (GAAP)		737,477			707,581			29,896		4.2%
International Foodservice Operations
Sales (GAAP)	$	2,890,598		$	2,869,043		$	21,555		0.8%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		589,922			599,647			(9,725)		-1.6%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		20.41%			20.90%					-49 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)		604,839		$	547,053		$	57,786		10.6%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		(81,020)			(5,602)			(75,418)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		(16,947)			(20,809)			3,862		-18.6%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	506,872		$	520,642		$	(13,770)		-2.6%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	(14,917)		$	52,594		$	(67,511)		-128.4%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		81,020			5,602			75,418		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		16,947			20,809			(3,862)		-18.6%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	83,050		$	79,005		$	4,045		5.1%
SYGMA *
Sales (GAAP)	$	1,536,607		$	1,633,145		$	(96,538)		-5.9%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		121,537			122,760			(1,223)		-1.0%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		7.91%			7.52%					39 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	118,423		$	119,407		$	(984)		-0.8%
Operating income (GAAP)		3,114			3,353			(239)		-7.1%
Other *
Sales (GAAP)	$	251,397		$	228,077		$	23,320		10.2%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		63,501			61,698			1,803		2.9%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		25.26%			27.05%					-179 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	57,783		$	55,517		$	2,266		4.1%
Operating income (GAAP)		5,718			6,181			(463)		-7.5%
Corporate
Gross Profit (GAAP)	$	(5,067)		$	(185)		$	(4,882)		NM
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	274,430		$	240,972		$	33,458		13.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(53,416)			(15,775)			(37,641)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (4)		(61)			(4,990)			4,929		-98.8%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	220,953		$	220,207		$	746		0.3%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	(279,497)		$	(241,157)		$	(38,340)		15.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		53,416			15,775			37,641		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (4)		61			4,990			(4,929)		-98.8%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	(226,020)		$	(220,392)		$	(5,628)		2.6%
Total Sysco
Sales (GAAP)	$	14,765,707		$	14,411,490		$	354,217		2.5%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		2,771,712			2,699,386			72,326		2.7%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		18.77%			18.73%					4 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	2,319,817		$	2,170,834		$	148,983		6.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1) (3)		(134,436)			(21,377)			(113,059)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2) (4)		(17,008)			(25,799)			8,791		-34.1%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	2,168,373		$	2,123,658		$	44,715		2.1%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	451,895		$	528,552		$	(76,657)		-14.5%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1) (3)		134,436			21,377			113,059		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2) (4)		17,008			25,799			(8,791)		-34.1%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	603,339		$	575,728		$	27,611		4.8%
* Segment has no applicable Certain items
(1) Includes $55 million of restructuring charges in France and other restructuring, severance and facility closure costs in Europe and Canada.
(2) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include $18 million and $19 million, respectively, related to intangible amortization expense from the Brakes Acquisition.
(3) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include various transformation initiative costs, primarily consisting of changes to our business technology strategy, including $17 million of accelerated depreciation on software that is being replaced, and severance charges related to restructuring.
(4) Fiscal 2018 included $5 million in integration costs from the Brakes Acquisition.
NM represents that the percentage change is not meaningful.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
Segment Results
Non-GAAP Reconciliation  (Unaudited)
Impact of Certain Items on Applicable Segments
(In Thousands, Except for Share and Per Share Data)
	26-Week Period Ended Dec. 29, 2018			26-Week Period Ended Dec. 30, 2017				Period Change in Dollars		Period %/bps Change
U.S. Foodservice Operations
Sales (GAAP)	$	20,486,516		$	19,530,167		$	956,349		4.9%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		4,092,046			3,901,749			190,297		4.9%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		19.97%			19.98%					0 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	2,538,811		$	2,412,093		$	126,718		5.3%
Operating income (GAAP)		1,553,235			1,489,656			63,579		4.3%
International Foodservice Operations
Sales (GAAP)	$	5,811,548		$	5,772,298		$	39,250		0.7%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		1,205,427			1,214,750			(9,323)		-0.8%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		20.74%			21.04%					-30 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	1,153,572		$	1,085,352		$	68,220		6.3%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		(87,746)			(9,500)			(78,246)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		(38,846)			(35,323)			(3,523)		10.0%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	1,026,980		$	1,040,529		$	(13,549)		-1.3%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	51,855		$	129,398		$	(77,543)		-59.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1)		87,746			9,500			78,246		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2)		38,846			35,323			3,523		10.0%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	178,447		$	174,221		$	4,226		2.4%
SYGMA *
Sales (GAAP)	$	3,158,064		$	3,273,816		$	(115,752)		-3.5%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		250,863			248,367			2,496		1.0%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		7.94%			7.59%					36 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	245,318		$	240,169		$	5,149		2.1%
Operating income (GAAP)		5,545			8,198			(2,653)		-32.4%
Other *
Sales (GAAP)	$	524,858		$	485,633		$	39,225		8.1%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		135,036			129,525			5,511		4.3%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		25.73%			26.67%					-94 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	118,983		$	116,412		$	2,571		2.2%
Operating income (GAAP)		16,053			13,113			2,940		22.4%
Corporate
Gross Profit (GAAP)	$	(7,875)		$	(1,337)		$	(6,538)		NM
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	538,778		$	491,111		$	47,667		9.7%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		(87,593)			(30,930)			(56,663)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (4)		(799)			(10,222)			9,423		-92.2%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	450,386		$	449,959		$	427		0.1%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	(546,653)		$	(492,448)		$	(54,205)		11.0%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (3)		87,593			30,930			56,663		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (4)		799			10,222			(9,423)		-92.2%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	(458,261)		$	(451,296)		$	(6,965)		1.5%
Total Sysco
Sales (GAAP)	$	29,980,986		$	29,061,914		$	919,072		3.2%
Gross Profit (GAAP)		5,675,497			5,493,054			182,443		3.3%
Gross Margin (GAAP)		18.93%			18.90%					3 bps
Operating expenses (GAAP)	$	4,595,462		$	4,345,137		$	250,325		5.8%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1) (3)		(175,339)			(40,430)			(134,909)		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2) (4)		(39,645)			(45,545)			5,900		-13.0%
Operating expenses adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	4,380,478		$	4,259,162		$	121,316		2.8%
Operating income (GAAP)	$	1,080,035		$	1,147,917		$	(67,882)		-5.9%
Impact of restructuring and transformational project costs (1) (3)		175,339			40,430			134,909		NM
Impact of acquisition-related costs (2) (4)		39,645			45,545			(5,900)		-13.0%
Operating income adjusted for Certain Items (Non-GAAP)	$	1,295,019		$	1,233,892		$	61,127		5.0%
* Segment has no applicable Certain items
(1) Includes $56 million of restructuring charges in France and other restructuring, severance and facility closure costs in Europe and Canada.
(2) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include $39 million and $31 million, respectively, related to intangible amortization expense from the Brakes Acquisition.
(3) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include various transformation initiative costs, primarily consisting of changes to our business technology strategy, including $17 million of accelerated depreciation on software that is being replaced, and severance charges related to restructuring.
(4) Fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include $1 million and $10 million, respectively, related to integration costs from the Brakes Acquisition.
NM represents that the percentage change is not meaningful.

Sysco Corporation and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
Non-GAAP Reconciliation  (Unaudited)
Free Cash Flow
(In Thousands)

Free cash flow represents net cash provided from operating activities less purchases of plant and equipment and includes proceeds from sales of plant and equipment.  Sysco considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after the purchases and sales of buildings, fleet, equipment and technology, which may potentially be used to pay for, among other things, strategic uses of cash including dividend payments, share repurchases and acquisitions.  However, free cash flow may not be available for discretionary expenditures, as it may be necessary that we use it to make mandatory debt service or other payments.  Free cash flow should not be used as a substitute for the most comparable GAAP measure in assessing the company’s liquidity for the periods presented.  An analysis of any non-GAAP financial measure should be used in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP.  In the table that follows, free cash flow for each period presented is reconciled to net cash provided by operating activities.

 

	26-Week Period Ended Dec. 29, 2018			26-Week Period Ended Dec. 30, 2017			26-Week Period Change in Dollars
Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP)	$	917,790		$	933,204		$	(15,414)
Additions to plant and equipment		(223,825)			(258,577)			34,752
Proceeds from sales of plant and equipment		6,901			3,878			3,023
Free Cash Flow (Non-GAAP)	$	700,866		$	678,505		$	22,361

 

For more information contact:

Camilla Zuckero
Media and Investor Contact
T 281-899-1839