Carter’s Sets October 30 Date for Third-Quarter Results as Investors Await Update
Key Facts
Carter’s third-quarter fiscal 2026 results could not be verified before their official release time, as the company said it would issue the results before the market opens on Friday, October 30, 2026. This means the results had not been announced according to the schedule published by the company when this article was prepared. Carter’s scheduled a call to discuss the results for the same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The release is due after trading data showed the company’s shares closed at $33.38 on October 29. The company had previously set target levels for the quarter, making the awaited results a test of those expectations.
In its previous guidance, the company forecast third-quarter net sales of about $750 million, compared with $758 million in the third quarter of 2025. It also forecast adjusted operating income of about $50 million, versus $39 million in the year-earlier period. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were estimated at about $0.85, compared with $0.74 a year earlier. These figures provide a benchmark for comparing results when they are released, but do not establish that the company achieved those levels. Third-quarter 2025 sales were $757.8 million, down 0.1% from $758.5 million in the third quarter of 2024.
For fiscal 2026, Carter’s forecast net sales growth of between 2% and 3%, compared with sales of $2.898 billion in fiscal 2025. The guidance follows second-quarter performance, when net sales rose 5% year over year and adjusted operating income climbed 54%, both exceeding the company’s previous expectations. Sales in that quarter were $615 million, compared with $585 million in the year-earlier period. U.S. comparable retail sales also increased 5.1% in the second quarter. These results provide context for tracking whether the company’s second-quarter performance continued into the following quarter.
By contrast, third-quarter 2025 results showed a divergence between sales channels: U.S. comparable retail sales rose 2%, while U.S. wholesale sales fell 5.1%. The company said at the time that higher product costs, including the impact of tariffs, weighed on profitability. Markets are now awaiting the company’s disclosure of third-quarter sales, operating income and adjusted earnings per share. CRI shares closed at $31.04 on October 28 and then at $33.38 on October 29. Management is scheduled to discuss the results on an investor call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on October 30.