-- Maple Leaf Foods (MFI.TO) reported a rise in its adjusted earnings per share and sales in the first quarter, beating analysts' expectations.
For the three months ended March 31, 2026, the company reported earnings of $46.1 million or adjusted basic earnings per share of $0.34 compared with $49.6 million or $0.21 EPS. The result beat a consensus estimate compiled by FactSet of $0.30 EPS.
Sales increased to $962.9 million compared with $906.7 million, a year-ago, beating a consensus estimate compiled by FactSet of $956.2 million.
"We delivered 6% year-over-year revenue growth, the sequential margin recovery we expected, and higher Adjusted EBITDA, driven by operating efficiency, favourable mix, and disciplined cost management, while generating strong Free Cash Flow," said Maple Leaf Foods Chief Executive Curtis Frank. "With leading brands, scalable growth platforms, and initiatives like Fuel for Growth strengthening our cost structure, we are on track to deliver our 2026 outlook of mid-single-digit revenue growth, continued margin expansion and disciplined capital allocation."
Its board also approved a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share, unchanged from the prior quarter, payable on June 30, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 8. The company had increased its quarterly dividend from $0.19 per share to $0.21 per share in Q4.
Shares of the company closed down 0.2% to $28.13 on Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.