Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) reported fiscal third-quarter organic revenue growth of 9% to $5 billion, while highlighting record client retention, rising new-business wins and early progress in its Aramark Nexus data-center hospitality initiative.
Chief Executive Officer John Zillmer said client retention reached approximately 98%, while fiscal year-to-date new client wins exceeded $1.6 billion, up 51% from the comparable prior-year period. He said growth was broad-based across the company’s U.S. and international operations, with every U.S. sector growing organically aside from an education-related calendar shift.
Revenue Growth Across U.S. and International Segments
Food and Support Services U.S. organic revenue rose 8% to $3.5 billion, or more than 10% excluding the calendar shift, according to Zillmer. Education would have posted growth of more than 7% without the timing impact, aided by increased residential meal-plan enrollment, record retention and what management described as its strongest collegiate selling season in recent history.
Sports, Leisure & Corrections also contributed to U.S. growth, supported by Major League Baseball activity and an expanded client portfolio in Major League Soccer and collegiate athletics. The company served 15 FIFA World Cup matches at stadiums it operates during the quarter, with four additional matches occurring after quarter-end. Zillmer said those events produced unprecedented attendance and record per-capita spending.
Aramark also cited higher NHL and NBA playoff activity, including the San Antonio Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals. Recent sports-related client wins included Florida State University Athletics and Texas State Athletics.
In Healthcare+, Aramark continued the rollout of services at Penn Medicine and began mobilizing multiple service lines across RWJBarnabas Health’s 18 locations. Workplace Experience and Refreshments delivered double-digit compounded growth for the 19th consecutive quarter, according to the company.
International organic revenue increased 11% to $1.5 billion, led by Spain, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. Concert and festival activity was particularly strong in Europe, while the company served more than 300,000 fans at the Formula One Grand Prix in Barcelona through nearly 100 food and beverage locations.
Aramark International won nearly 200 client-location accounts during the quarter, including remote hospitality work for Discovery Silver Mine in Canada and Codelco’s Chuquicamata and Antofagasta’s Los Pelambres copper mines in Chile.
Profit, Earnings and Cash Flow
Operating income increased 18% from the prior-year period to $216 million. Adjusted operating income, or AOI, rose 13% to $261 million, with margins expanding nearly 20 basis points. Chief Financial Officer Jim Tarangelo said the calendar shift reduced AOI by an estimated $20 million; excluding that impact, AOI growth would have been approximately 21%, with nearly 50 basis points of constant-currency margin expansion.
FSS U.S. AOI increased 11%, with margins improving more than 20 basis points. Excluding the calendar shift, management said AOI growth would have been about 22% and margin improvement would have approached 65 basis points. International AOI grew 24%, while constant-currency margins expanded nearly 60 basis points.
GAAP earnings per share were $0.36, and adjusted EPS was $0.52, up nearly 30% year over year. Tarangelo said adjusted EPS growth would have been almost 45% excluding the calendar effect.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $41 million, while free cash flow reached $42 million. Subsequent to the quarter’s end, the company repaid $100 million of term loans. Aramark had more than $1.4 billion in cash availability at quarter-end and reiterated its goal of reducing leverage below three times by fiscal year-end.
Nexus Expansion Targets Data-Center Workforce Communities
Aramark began operating its first Texas site for a top global hyperscaler late in the third quarter. Zillmer said the scope of the first site increased approximately 40% from original estimates, with expected annual revenue of roughly $140 million. A second site for the same client is being mobilized and is expected to be larger, at approximately $160 million of annual revenue.
The first hyperscaler site was originally expected to support about 3,500 employees, while the second is estimated at 4,000 beds. The company also has an agreement with an AI data-center colocation provider covering five additional sites in varying stages of development. One co-location site, expected to have approximately 4,500 beds, is scheduled to begin mobilizing in the first half of Aramark’s next fiscal year.
Management said the three sites under active mobilization and development could represent $400 million to $500 million of annualized revenue as they ramp through fiscal 2027 and into fiscal 2028. Nexus contributed only a small amount of revenue in the third quarter, while Tarangelo said it is expected to account for roughly 1% of fourth-quarter revenue growth.
Zillmer said Nexus contracts are intended to provide food, retail, housekeeping, facilities management and other hospitality amenities for workers living at remote construction and data-center communities. Tarangelo said the contracts are primarily cost-reimbursable, capital-light and carry margins above the company average.
Outlook Raised for Revenue Growth
Aramark raised its fiscal 2026 organic revenue growth outlook to 9% to 10%, citing broad-based momentum and early contributions from the hyperscaler contract. The company reaffirmed projected AOI growth of 12% to 17% and adjusted EPS growth of 20% to 25%.
Management expects accelerated AOI growth and margin expansion in the fourth quarter, though it also noted that record new-business mobilizations will bring startup costs. Tarangelo said newly won accounts in higher education, destinations and healthcare are expected to ramp further in fiscal 2027.
Looking beyond the current year, management said it expects continued margin expansion in the core business of roughly 30 to 40 basis points, with Nexus providing an additional tailwind as the business scales.
About Aramark (NYSE:ARMK)
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is a global provider of food services, facilities management and uniform solutions, serving clients across a wide array of industries including education, healthcare, business and government. The company operates through three primary segments: Food and Support Services, Uniform and Career Apparel, and Facility Services, delivering integrated solutions designed to enhance guest experiences, improve operational efficiencies and maintain safe, clean environments. Aramark’s offerings include corporate dining, patient and senior nutrition, campus dining, sports and entertainment concessions, custodial services, technical maintenance and industrial laundry.
Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Aramark has expanded its footprint to more than 20 countries, with a strong presence in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
