Reeds Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

  • Neutral Sentiment: Sales declined while margins improved: Third-quarter net sales fell to $6.5 million from $7.0 million a year earlier, mainly because of lower volumes with recurring national customers. Gross margin rose to 25% from 17%, supported by lower promotional allowances and cost of goods.
  • Positive Sentiment: Operating losses and cash use narrowed: SG&A decreased 15% year over year, net loss improved to $3.2 million from $4.0 million, and cash used in operations fell to $0.3 million from $2.8 million.
  • Neutral Sentiment: New financing adds flexibility but leaves near-term financial considerations: Reed’s raised $10 million in a post-quarter private placement and extended its $9.25 million credit facility’s maturity to June 2027. The company had $2.1 million in cash at quarter-end, and the placement involved issuing about 17.4 million shares.
  • Positive Sentiment: Management is targeting renewed growth through expanded distribution and innovation: Reed’s says it added more than 3,000 retail doors year over year and expects placements to contribute more in 2027; it also plans a controlled-market test of a new product. Management expects fourth-quarter sales and gross margin to improve sequentially and is targeting gross margin around the mid-30% range by approximately the second quarter of 2027.
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Earnings Conference Call
Reeds Q3 2026
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Operator

Morning, and welcome to Reed's third quarter 2026 earnings conference call for the three months ended September 30th, 2026. My name is Anas, and I will be your conference call operator for today. Today's call will include prepared remarks from Neal Cohane, Reed's Interim Chief Executive Officer, and Doug McCurdy, Reed's Chief Financial Officer. Following their remarks, we will open the call for questions. Before we begin, please take note of the company's cautionary statement. Today's call will include forward-looking statements, including statements about Reed's business strategy, growth initiatives, financial projections, operational improvements, the impact of corrective efforts, financing plans, and liquidity. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties and only reflect management's view as of today, November 11, 2026.

Operator

Reed's assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. For more information, please refer to the risk factors section of the company's annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25th, 2026, and in other filings the company makes from time to time with the SEC. When discussing results, the presenters may refer to Non-GAAP measures, which exclude certain items from reported results. Please refer to Reed's third quarter 2026 earnings release on Reed's investor website at investor.reedsinc.com and the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, expected to be on the website soon, for definitions and reconciliations of Non-GAAP measures and additional information regarding results, including discussion of factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements.

Operator

While we believe the Non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information for investors, the presentation of this information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. I will now turn the call over to Mr. Cohane.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Thanks, operator, and good morning, everyone. Third quarter marked another step forward in improving our operating performance, with continued progress on gross margins and cost discipline. In short, the turnaround plan is taking hold. The actions we have taken throughout the year are beginning to translate into a more efficient operating structure. Gross margins increased to 25% compared to 24% in the second quarter and 17% a year ago, while operating expenses continue to decline. We recognize that restoring revenue growth remains a priority, and our focus is on building these improvements as we position the business for 2027. As we emphasized last quarter, we are making progress. There is still considerable work ahead of us. We have taken steps to address the challenges facing the business, but we are not yet where we want to be.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Let me give you some context on key areas of progress during the third quarter. An important development since our last call is that we have strengthened our balance sheet. At the end of the third quarter, we refinanced our credit facility and extended its maturity to June 2027. After quarter end, we closed a $10 million private placement. Doug will walk you through the details, but the bottom line is that we now have the capital to execute our plan. With the completion of our $10 million private placement, we have strengthened our financial position and provided the company with additional flexibility to execute our business plan. Our capital allocation priorities are straightforward. First, to support working capital and ensure operational stability. Second, to continue improving our cost structure and operating efficiency.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Third, we will make targeted investments in our brands and retail partners that will drive incremental revenue and long-term growth. Importantly, we intend to be disciplined and increasingly selective in how we deploy capital. While we will continue to manage expenses carefully, we also recognize that returning Reed's to growth requires investment behind our brands and our retail distribution footprint. As we move into 2027, we will expect to place greater emphasis on focused marketing, including digital, social media engagement, and influencer retailer marketing. This is designed to build awareness, drive consumer demand, which will translate into measurable sales. Our objective is to ensure that every marketing dollar we deploy is backed with a return on investment that will increase velocities while creating long-term shareholder value. On the retail channel side, our investment in a stronger national broker network is beginning to deliver results.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Year-over-year, we have secured more than 3,000 new retail doors while also regaining distribution with several important national and regional accounts. This represents meaningful progress in rebuilding our retail footprint and expanding the availability of our brands. We expect these new placements to begin contributing more meaningfully in the fourth quarter and throughout 2027 as products reach store shelves, gain consumer visibility, and build velocity. Our focus is now on supporting these placements with disciplined sales and targeted marketing to convert expanded distribution into sustainable revenue growth. Product innovation will be another important driver of our growth strategy as we move into 2027. We are continuing to build on Reed's strong heritage in ginger with the development of our new mixer line, which we believe creates an exciting opportunity to expand our presence and relevance in the beverage category mixer space.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

In addition, we are working towards what we believe could be a game-changing product innovation targeted for launch in early 2027. While we are very excited about the potential of this innovation, we intend to take a measured and disciplined approach to its launch. Our initial strategy will be to introduce the product through a controlled market test with our local customers and with very specific retail partners. This will allow us to evaluate consumer response, product velocity, and operational execution in a short period of time before considering a broader rollout. While we are not prepared to share additional details at this time, we are excited about this initiative and what it could mean for the future of Reed's brands. Our objective is to bring meaningful new innovation to the market that differentiates our portfolio, attracts new consumers, and creates incremental growth opportunities with our retail partners.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Reed's will return to growth by not only growing our existing portfolio, but by constantly innovating and partnering with key retail partners around the country. Our decades of distribution and retail partnerships are what we do best. We are now leveraging those relationships. It's time to pay attention. On costs, we will continue to balance our selling, general, and administrative expenses with the size of the business, and those expenses decline meaningfully both year-over-year and sequentially. Our operations team has also done a strong job managing logistics, vendor relationships, and in a challenging fuel and freight environment, with delivering and handling costs down 10% year-over-year. In Asia, we have narrowed our focus and significantly reduced our investment in the second half of the year. We continue to closely monitor our investment there and will update investors as appropriate.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Stepping back, the third quarter demonstrated continued sequential progress in gross margin, operating expenses, and net loss, but we recognize substantial work remains, particularly on top line. As we close out the year and move into 2027, we are focused on disciplined commercial execution, putting our new capital work, continued margin improvement, and positioning Reed's for profitable, sustainable growth. In the fourth quarter, we expect net sales and gross margin to sequentially improve compared to the third quarter and the prior year period. We are not simply focused on stabilizing Reed's. We are focused on rebuilding forward into an exciting growth company. That means we're rebuilding our commercial foundation, investing in meaningful product innovation, reconnecting with consumers, and creating new opportunities with our retail partners.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

We believe Reed's has tremendous brand heritage and untapped potential, and our focus is on translating those strengths into sustainable growth, improved profitability, and long-term shareholder value. I'd like to thank everybody for your time today, and I'll turn the call over to Doug now.

Doug McCurdy
CFO at Reed's

Thank you, Neal. Turning to our results for the third quarter of 2026. All variance commentary is on a year-over-year basis unless otherwise noted. Net sales for the third quarter of 2026 were $6.5 million compared to $7.0 million in the prior year period. The decrease was primarily driven by lower volumes with recurring national customers, partially offset by lower promotional and other allowances. Gross profit for the third quarter increased 34% to $1.6 million compared to $1.2 million in the prior year period. Gross margin expanded to 25% compared to 17% in the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by lower promotional and other allowances and lower cost of goods per case, which decreased to $13.26 from $13.73 in the prior year period.

Doug McCurdy
CFO at Reed's

Delivery and handling expenses decreased by 10% to $1.0 million during the third quarter of 2026 compared to $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the net sales decrease and continuing improvements in logistics efficiency and freight optimization. Delivery and handling costs were 15% of net sales, or $2.69 per case, compared to 16% of net sales, or $2.60 per case during the same period last year. Selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased 15% to $3.6 million compared to $4.2 million in the prior year period. The decrease was primarily driven by continuing efforts to optimize selling, general, and administrative expenses, partially offset by investment in personnel and related services to support our Asia growth initiative.

Doug McCurdy
CFO at Reed's

Net loss during the third quarter of 2026 improved to $3.2 million, or negative $0.27 per share, compared to a net loss of $4.0 million, or negative $0.48 per share in the prior year period. EBITDA loss improved to $2.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, compared to an EBITDA loss of $3.6 million in the year-ago period. Turning to liquidity. Cash used in operations improved to $0.3 million in the third quarter of 2026, compared to cash used in operations of $2.8 million in the year-ago period. As of September 30th, 2026, Reed's had $2.1 million of cash and $9.25 million of total debt, compared to $10.4 million of cash and $9.2 million of total debt net of deferred financing fees as of December 31, 2025.

Doug McCurdy
CFO at Reed's

We have taken important steps to strengthen our financial position and balance the company with additional flexibility to execute our growth strategy. On September 30, 2026, we refinanced our $9.25 million senior secured loan, extending its maturity to June 30, 2027, with an option to extend for an additional three months, subject to certain conditions. In addition, subsequent to quarter end, on November 9, 2026, we closed a private placement pursuant to which we issued and sold an aggregate of 17,421,602 shares of common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $10.0 million. The closing of the transaction satisfied the equity contribution requirement under our amended credit agreement. We intend to use the net proceeds for working capital and other general corporate purposes. This concludes our prepared remarks. Operator, you may open the line for questions.

Operator

Thank you, Mr. McCurdy. Ladies and gentlemen, we now begin the question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star followed by the number one on your telephone keypad. If your question has been answered, you would like to withdraw from the queue, please press star followed by the number two. If you're using a speakerphone, please lift your handset before pressing any keys. One moment, please, while we compile the roster. Your first question comes from Aaron Grey with A.G.P. Please go ahead.

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Hi, good morning, and thank you very much for the questions. First question from me, just in terms of the distribution, regaining and adding some new ones. Maybe just help talk about where we are today. I think you're at 32,000 doors in 2025. You had been as high as 46,000 doors in the past couple years before that. So where are we today in terms of doors, and where do you think we could be in the next 12 months or so? Thank you.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Yeah, thanks, Aaron. Doors today, it's a moving target, but between the syndicated data and our natural food channel data, we're probably in about 30,000 we'll say 32,000 doors-35,000 doors. The good news is we're picking back up some accounts that kind of left us behind in 2025, and we're re-engaging, and they are committed to bringing us back on the shelves. That's going to happen primarily in the first and second quarters coming up in 2027. So, hope that answers your question.

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Yeah, that's helpful. Game-changing innovation. I know you said you're limited in terms of what you can touch on today, but maybe just kind of broad strokes. Is it more so in line with the functional beverage? I know you had kind of pulled and said would be coming back in 2027. Or is it tangential to the ginger core of Reed's? Any type of color you could provide in terms of what we could expect in terms of innovation for next year?

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Yeah. Without giving too much away, because we feel it's going to be different than everybody else out there, we're not looking to talk too much about it at this moment, but it is different from our current lineup. It's not going to, more than likely, not live in the same space that we have on the shelf right now, but it's going to be super exciting, and it plays in a much bigger category than we play in at this, currently right now in the, call it the craft soda, ginger beer space, right?

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Okay, great. We will keep an eye out for that. Next question for me, just on the gross margin profile and evolution. I know you talked about sequential improvement expected there. Longer term, how much of a step-up can we expect in the gross margin, as we get some fixed costs, leverage or otherwise, as we look to 2027?

Doug McCurdy
CFO at Reed's

Yeah. Good morning, Aaron. Our expectation is that we will see modest sequential improvement in fourth quarter. Better than 2025, but I do not think we step function up in fourth quarter. Then I think as we make our way into first quarter and first half, we are very focused on getting to the mid-30s, on or about the course of second quarter.

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Okay, great. Thanks. Last question for me. Just in terms of the sales and marketing team, the external one that you guys have brought on, can you talk about how that has helped in terms of getting these new doors, and maybe how that has made you feel that it is possible to compete in a larger category with innovation you have alluded to?

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

I am sorry, the question is, do you think they helped us compete?

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Yeah. So number one, have they been helpful in terms of getting the new doors? Number two, do you think they help make it possible to launch a new innovation that's different from the core

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Yeah

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

ginger or craft soda category?

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Yeah, absolutely. I call them our partners, number one. It's probably a bad term to use for certain guys. Their names tend to get used in different ways. Our broker partner puts more feet on the street for us. They open up doors and have relationships, years of relationships that we might not ordinarily have with some customers. Some customers, we have relationships, and then they help administratively. We have all the complexities, and I want to say it, of a large national beverage brand. We are in almost every chain store in the country, and managing a chain store creates a lot of administrative responsibility.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

They're there to help us with relationships, administrative responsibility, but then also this broker's going to help us as we launch this new innovation, because we are going to be extremely targeted, number one, but they can also help us from a merchandising standpoint. We'll have some flexibility that a lot of smaller beverage companies don't have. We'll have that flexibility to bring products to market quick, fast, and efficient.

Aaron Grey
Aaron Grey
Analyst at Alliance Global Partners

Okay, great. Thanks for the color. I'll go and jump back in the queue.

Operator

Thank you, Aaron. There are no further questions at this time. I will turn it back to Mr. Cohane for some closing remarks.

Neal Cohane
Interim CEO at Reed's

Thanks, operator. Appreciate everybody's time today. We believe the actions we've taken this year, together with the capital raised, positions Reed's for profitable growth in 2027. We appreciate your continued interest and look forward to updating you on progress during the next call. Thank you.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference call for today. We thank [inaudible] and ask that you please disconnect your lines. Have a great day.

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