Hillman Reports First Quarter 2026 Results

Closed two acquisitions subsequent to quarter end - expanding Industrial MRO and Pro Distribution presence

Increases FY 2026 Net Sales guidance; reiterates Adj. EBITDA and Free Cash Flow guidance

CINCINNATI, April 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hillman Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq: HLMN) (the “Company” or “Hillman”), a leading provider of hardware products and merchandising solutions, reported financial results for the thirteen weeks ended March 28, 2026.

First Quarter 2026 Highlights (Thirteen weeks ended March 28, 2026)

• Net sales increased 3.0% to $370.1 million compared to $359.3 million in the prior year quarter
• Net loss totaled $(4.7) million, or $(0.02) per diluted share, compared to $(0.3) million, or $(0.00) per diluted share, in the prior year quarter
• Adjusted diluted EPS1 totaled $0.07 per diluted share compared to $0.10 per diluted share in the prior year quarter
• Adjusted EBITDA1 totaled $50.1 million compared to $54.5 million in the prior year quarter
• Net cash used by operating activities was $(19.5) million compared to $(0.7) million in the prior year quarter
• Free Cash Flow1 totaled $(34.3) million compared to $(21.3) million in the prior year quarter
• Hillman repurchased approximately 1.2 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $8.29 per share, which totaled $10.1 million
• Subsequent to the quarter end, closed two acquisitions:
  • Campbell Chain & Fittings, a premier manufacturer and supplier of industrial chain and related products
  • Delaney Hardware, a U.S.-based supplier of door hardware and builder’s hardware used in residential, multifamily, and commercial construction

Balance Sheet and Liquidity at March 28, 2026

• Gross debt was $737.8 million compared to $693.1 million on December 27, 2025
• Net debt1 was $710.1 million compared to $665.8 million on December 27, 2025
• Liquidity available totaled $282.4 million; consisting of $254.7 million of available borrowing under the revolving credit facility and $27.7 million of cash and equivalents
• Net debt1 to trailing twelve month Adjusted EBITDA was 2.6x at quarter end compared to 2.4x on December 27, 2025

Management Commentary

"Consistent demand for our hardware products, driven by repair, maintenance, and remodeling projects, coupled with mid-single digit growth in our robotics and digital solutions business ('RDS') drove a solid quarter for Hillman, despite the impact from weather and the macro," commented Jon Michael Adinolfi, President and CEO of Hillman.

"We are raising our full year net sales guidance, driven by the two acquisitions we made subsequent to the end of the quarter. These tuck-in acquisitions support two important strategic initiatives for Hillman: category expansion and pro distribution."

"After the quarter end, we acquired Campbell Chain and Fittings, a premier manufacturer and supplier of industrial chain and chain-related products. This acquisition adds U.S.-based manufacturing and complements our existing retail chain business. Campbell also expands our position within the industrial MRO sector, a key focus area for our future growth.

"Additionally, one week later, we acquired Delaney Hardware, a U.S.-based supplier of door hardware and builder’s hardware used in residential, multifamily, and commercial construction. This acquisition expands our product breadth in our residential pro distribution business.

"We will continue to be laser focused on strengthening our leadership position, executing our strategy to expand across categories and channels, and unlocking meaningful growth opportunities. As we look to the rest of the year, we remain confident in our ability to drive growth and manage this dynamic environment while taking great care of our customers and delivering value for our shareholders.”

Full Year 2026 Guidance - Updated

Based on year-to-date performance and its expectations for the remainder of the year, management is updating its guidance most recently provided on February 17, 2026.

 Previous FY 2026 GuidanceUpdated FY 2026 GuidanceNet Sales$1.600 to $1.700 billion$1.630 to $1.730 billionAdjusted EBITDA1$275 to $285 million$275 to $285 millionFree Cash Flow1$100 to $120 million$100 to $120 million

1) Denotes Non-GAAP metric. For additional information, including our definitions, use of, and reconciliations of these metrics to the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP, please see the reconciliations toward the end of the press release.

First Quarter 2026 Results Presentation

Hillman plans to host a conference call and webcast presentation on April 28, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its results. President and Chief Executive Officer Jon Michael Adinolfi and Chief Financial Officer Rocky Kraft will host the results presentation.

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Listen-Only Webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/3we7oiaa

A webcast replay will be available approximately one hour after the conclusion of the call using the link above.

Hillman’s quarterly presentation and Form 10-Q are expected to be filed with the SEC and posted to its Investor Relations website, https://ir.hillmangroup.com, prior to the webcast presentation.

About Hillman Solutions Corp.

Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Hillman is a leading provider of hardware and related products serving retail, pro distribution, and industrial MRO customers. Over the last 60-plus years, Hillman has built a legacy of service and growth by forming strategic partnerships with North America’s leading home improvement, hardware, and farm and fleet retailers. Hillman differentiates itself from the competition with its dedicated field sales team of 1,200+ associates, direct-to-store distribution capabilities, and world class global sourcing and supply chain expertise. The company offers an extensive product portfolio of more than 111,000 SKUs, including fasteners (power screws, nuts, and bolts), hardware (builder’s hardware, door locks, rope & chain, accessories), project gear & supplies (gloves, work gear, paint & cleaning sundries), and key and engraving services (key duplication, auto keys, and engraving). Hillman is committed to delivering exceptional customer service, innovative products, and dependable solutions to its customers and regularly earns vendor of the year recognition from top customers. For more information on Hillman, visit www.hillman.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements made in this press release that are considered to be forward-looking are made in good faith by the Company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," “target”, “goal”, "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) unfavorable economic conditions that may affect our and our customers’, suppliers’ and other business partners’ operations, financial condition and cash flows including spending on home renovation or construction projects, inflation, recessions, instability in the financial markets or credit markets; (2) increased supply chain costs, including tariffs, raw materials, sourcing, transportation and energy; (3) the highly competitive nature of the markets that we serve; (4) the ability to continue to innovate with new products and services; (5) seasonality; (6) large customer concentration; (7) the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; (8) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (9) adverse changes in currency exchange rates; or (10) regulatory changes and potential legislation that could adversely impact financial results. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should also refer to those risks that are included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 17, 2026. Given these uncertainties, current or prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements.

Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this communication to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Contact:

Michael Koehler
Vice President – Corporate Development, Investor Relations, Treasury
513-826-5495
[email protected]

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Net Loss, GAAP Basis
(dollars in thousands) Unaudited

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025Net sales$370,073  $359,343 Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) 201,496   190,740 Selling, warehouse, general and administrative expenses 124,571   119,052 Depreciation 21,999   19,395 Amortization 15,276   15,415 Other income, net (483)  (274)Income from operations 7,214   15,015 Interest expense, net 13,005   14,460 Refinancing costs —   906 loss before income taxes (5,791)  (351)Income tax benefit (1,059)  (34)Net loss$(4,732) $(317)    Basic and diluted loss per share$(0.02) $(0.00)Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding 196,626   197,284         

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(dollars in thousands)
Unaudited

 March 28, 2026 December 27, 2025ASSETS   Current assets:   Cash and cash equivalents$27,731  $27,276 Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $1,876 ($1,944 - 2025) 138,767   114,926 Inventories, net 483,323   485,938 Other current assets 20,066   18,342 Total current assets 669,887   646,482 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $446,048 ($428,726 - 2025) 224,575   231,482 Goodwill 830,372   830,747 Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $607,790 ($592,748 - 2025) 530,707   546,171 Operating lease right of use assets 77,222   75,152 Other assets 28,216   26,160 Total assets$2,360,979  $2,356,194 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   Current liabilities:   Accounts payable$139,832  $141,662 Current portion of debt and financing lease liabilities 14,898   14,830 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 19,432   17,947 Accrued expenses:   Salaries and wages 10,419   35,790 Pricing allowances 5,514   8,098 Income and other taxes 8,429   9,466 Other accrued liabilities 28,559   29,766 Total current liabilities 227,083   257,559 Long-term debt 714,055   668,337 Deferred tax liabilities 132,061   131,870 Operating lease liabilities 63,934   63,459 Other non-current liabilities 7,868   6,462 Total liabilities$1,145,001  $1,127,687 Commitments and contingencies (Note 6)   Stockholders' equity:   Common stock: $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 198,945,695 and 196,355,206 issued and outstanding in 2026, respectively, and 197,857,100 and 196,487,532 shares issued and outstanding in 2025, respectively 20   20 Treasury stock, at cost, 2,590,489 shares in 2026 and 1,369,568 shares in 2025 (22,539)  (12,423)Additional paid-in capital 1,460,059   1,457,422 Accumulated deficit (183,378)  (178,646)Accumulated other comprehensive loss (38,184)  (37,866)Total stockholders' equity 1,215,978   1,228,507 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$2,360,979  $2,356,194         

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
(dollars in thousands)
Unaudited

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025Cash flows from operating activities:   Net loss$(4,732) $(317)Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used for operating activities:   Depreciation and amortization 37,275   34,810 Deferred income taxes 218   (974)Deferred financing and original issue discount amortization 1,253   1,257 Stock-based compensation expense 4,007   3,278 Loss on debt restructuring —   906 Cash paid to third parties in connection with debt restructuring —   (906)Loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment 14   (139)Change in fair value of contingent consideration (509)  (326)Changes in operating items:   Accounts receivable, net (24,128)  (24,617)Inventories, net 2,909   7,319 Other assets (3,950)  (2,152)Accounts payable (1,548)  11,340 Accrued salaries and wages (25,415)  (20,769)Other accrued expenses (4,927)  (9,365)Net cash used for operating activities (19,533)  (655)Net cash from investing activities   Capital expenditures (14,815)  (20,658)Other investing activities (55)  (67)Net cash used for investing activities (14,870)  (20,725)Cash flows from financing activities:   Repayments of senior term loans (2,128)  (2,128)Borrowings on revolving credit loans 72,162   62,000 Repayments of revolving credit loans (25,000)  (44,000)Principal payments under finance lease obligations (1,484)  (1,270)Proceeds from exercise of stock options 1,483   306 Repurchases of common stock (10,116)  — Payments of contingent consideration (77)  (75)Other financing activities (114)  (440)Net cash provided by financing activities 34,726   14,393 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash 132   (1,214)Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 455   (8,201)Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 27,276   44,510 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$27,731  $36,309         

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the Most Directly Comparable GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures to analyze underlying business performance and trends. The Company believes that providing these non-GAAP financial measures enhances the Company’s and investors’ ability to compare the Company’s past financial performance with its current performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as supplemental information to the financial measures presented in this press release that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures determined or calculated in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s definitions of its non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Because GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis are not accessible, and reconciling information is not available without unreasonable effort, reconciliations to GAAP financial measures are not provided for forward-looking non-GAAP measures. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.

Non-GAAP financial measures such as consolidated adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share (EPS) exclude from the relevant GAAP metrics items that neither relate to the ordinary course of the Company’s business, nor reflect the Company’s underlying business performance.

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA (Unaudited)

(dollars in thousands)

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is the primary basis used to measure the operational strength and performance of our businesses as well as to assist in the evaluation of underlying trends in our businesses. This measure eliminates the significant level of noncash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our businesses and from intangible assets recognized in business combinations. It is also unaffected by our capital and tax structures, as our management excludes these results when evaluating our operating performance. Our management use this financial measure to evaluate our consolidated operating performance and the operating performance of our operating segments as well as to allocate resources and capital to our operating segments. Additionally, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing our operating performance with that of other companies in our industries, although our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies.

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025Net loss$(4,732) $(317)Income tax benefit (1,059)  (34)Interest expense, net 13,005   14,460 Depreciation 21,999   19,395 Amortization 15,276   15,415 EBITDA$44,489  $48,919     Stock compensation expense 4,007   3,278 Restructuring   and other (1) 2,011   1,691 Transaction and integration expense (2) 92   58 Change in fair value of contingent consideration (509)  (326)Refinancing costs (3) —   906 Total adjusting items 5,601   5,607 Adjusted EBITDA$50,090  $54,526 

(1)Includes consulting and other costs associated with severance related to our distribution center relocations and corporate restructuring activities.(2)Transaction and integration expense includes professional fees and other costs related to acquisition activity, including the to the Campbell Chain and Fittings and Delaney Hardware acquisitions in 2026.(3)In the first quarter of 2025, we entered into a Repricing Amendment on our existing Senior Term Loan due July 14, 2028.  

Reconciliation of Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share

(in thousands, except per share data)
Unaudited

We define Adjusted Diluted EPS as reported diluted EPS excluding the effect of one-time, non-recurring activity and volatility associated with our income tax expense. The Company believes that Adjusted Diluted EPS provides further insight and comparability in operating performance as it eliminates the effects of certain items that are not comparable from one period to the next. The following is a reconciliation of reported diluted EPS from continuing operations to Adjusted Diluted EPS from continuing operations:

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025Reconciliation to Adjusted Net Income   Net Loss$(4,732) $(317)Remove adjusting items (1) 5,601   5,607 Remove amortization expense 15,276   15,415 Remove tax benefit on adjusting items and amortization expense (2) (1,506)  (1,720)Adjusted Net Income$14,639  $18,985     Reconciliation to Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share   Diluted Earnings per Share$(0.02) $0.00 Remove adjusting items (1) 0.03   0.03 Remove amortization expense 0.08   0.08 Remove tax benefit on adjusting items and amortization expense (2) (0.01)  (0.01)Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share$0.07  $0.10     Diluted Shares, as reported 196,626   197,284 Non-GAAP dilution adjustments:   Dilutive effect of stock options and awards 2,467   2,553 Adjusted Diluted Shares 199,093   199,837 

Note: Adjusted EPS may not add due to rounding.

(1)Please refer to the "Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA" table above for additional information on adjusting items. See the "Per share impact of Adjusting Items" table below for the per share impact of each adjustment.(2)We have calculated the income tax effect of the non-GAAP adjustments shown above at the applicable statutory rate of 25% for the U.S. and 26.2% for Canada except for the following items: a.The tax impact of stock compensation expense was calculated using the statutory rates above, excluding certain awards that are non-deductible. b.Amortization expense for financial accounting purposes was offset by the tax benefit of deductible amortization expense using the statutory rate of 25%.    

Per Share Impact of Adjusting Items

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026
 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025
Stock compensation expense$0.02  $0.02 Restructuring and other costs 0.01   0.01 Transaction and integration expense 0.00   0.00 Change in fair value of contingent consideration 0.00   0.00 Refinancing costs 0.00   0.00 Total adjusting items$0.03  $0.03         

Note: Adjusting items may not add due to rounding.

Reconciliation of Net Debt

We define Net Debt as reported gross debt less cash on hand. Net debt is not defined under U.S. GAAP and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company believes that Net Debt provides further insight and comparability into liquidity and capital structure. The following is the calculation of Net Debt:

 March 28, 2026
 December 27, 2025
Revolving loans$83,162  $36,000 Senior term loan, due 2028 634,832   636,960 Finance leases and other obligations 19,851   20,090 Gross debt$737,845  $693,050 Less cash 27,731   27,276 Net debt$710,114  $665,774         

Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow

We calculate free cash flow as cash flows from operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow is not defined under U.S. GAAP and may not be computed the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. We believe free cash flow is an important indicator of how much cash is generated by our business operations and is a measure of incremental cash available to invest in our business and meet our debt obligations.

 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 28, 2026 Thirteen Weeks Ended
March 29, 2025Net cash used by operating activities$(19,533) $(655)Capital expenditures (14,815)  (20,658)Free cash flow$(34,348) $(21,313)        

Source: Hillman Solutions Corp.