Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.37 EPS

Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.37, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $691.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $640.82 million. Americold Realty Trust had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 8.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Americold Realty Trust’s conference call:

• Occupancy and earnings improved, and 2026 guidance rose again. Physical occupancy reached 70%, up 460 basis points year over year, while Q3 AFFO was $0.35 per share; Americold raised full-year AFFO guidance to $1.31–$1.33.
• The EQT joint venture materially strengthened the balance sheet. The $1.3 billion transaction generated about $1.15 billion in debt repayment, reduced leverage to 6.2x, eliminated debt maturities through 2028, and is expected to lower annual interest expense by nearly $50 million.
• Handling profitability reached a record. Handling margin rose to 15.9%, up 230 basis points year over year, while same-store warehouse revenue increased 4.9% and NOI grew 5.5%; transportation NOI was up 23% year to date.
• Americold is pursuing new sources of growth. The company signed its first European QSR customer and won aerospace-related business, while continuing to sell underperforming sites; management said some non-food opportunities may offer more compelling margins, though these efforts are at an early stage.
• Management expects a cautious demand environment and a softer start to 2027. Consumer demand remains pressured, and the company is planning for conditions broadly similar to 2026; seasonal occupancy declines, customer logistics rationalizations, and $0.07–$0.08 of incremental JV dilution are expected to weigh on 2027 AFFO, particularly in Q1.

Americold Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of COLD stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $16.04. The company had a trading volume of 8,722,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,525,258. The stock has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.32 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.10. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.85. Americold Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $10.10 and a 52-week high of $16.88.

Americold Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Americold Realty Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -57.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COLD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Americold Realty Trust in a research note on Friday, August 7th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Americold Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Americold Realty Trust from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. DA Davidson set a $16.00 target price on Americold Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Americold Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.46.

Key Americold Realty Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting Americold Realty Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Americold reported Q3 adjusted FFO of $0.35 per share, above the $0.32 FactSet estimate, while revenue rose 4.2% year over year to $691.6 million and exceeded expectations. The company also reported year-over-year revenue and NOI growth. Americold Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted FFO outlook for a second consecutive time, projecting $1.31–$1.33 per share. Improving warehouse performance and stabilizing cold-storage demand underpin the upgraded outlook. Americold raises full-year outlook as warehouse performance improves
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted a $1.15 billion reduction in outstanding debt; its EQT joint venture is also expected to lower annual interest expense by nearly $50 million, potentially easing financing costs. Americold projects 2026 AFFO and EQT joint venture interest savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted FFO was unchanged from the year-ago quarter. The earnings beat and guidance increase are encouraging, but flat per-share FFO shows that growth remains gradual. Americold Q3 adjusted FFO flat, revenue rises

About Americold Realty Trust

Americold Realty Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates and develops temperature-controlled warehouses and distribution facilities. Through its operating platform, Americold Logistics, the company provides refrigerated and frozen storage, handling, transportation and supply-chain services for food producers, retailers, distributors and other customers.

Its facilities support the movement of perishable products, including meat, seafood, dairy, fruit, vegetables, prepared foods and pharmaceuticals.