CULP ANNOUNCES FIRST QUARTER FISCAL 2027 RESULTS (Form 8-K)

CULP ANNOUNCES FIRST QUARTER FISCAL 2027 RESULTS

Plan Execution Drives Above-Market Sales Growth and Improved Profitability

Significantly Enhanced Balance Sheet from Over 70% Net Debt Reduction

HIGH POINT, N.C. (September 9, 2026) - Culp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CULP), a leading provider of fabrics for bedding and upholstery fabrics for residential, commercial, and hospitality furniture and other applications, today reported financial and operating results for its first fiscal quarter ended August 2, 2026.

Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Financial Highlights

▪ Year-over-year sales growth of 6.5%, while also overcoming one less selling week in the quarter, with consolidated net sales of $54.0 million compared to $50.7 million in the prior-year period and double-digit sales growth of 13.2% in the bedding segment.

▪ Consolidated gross profit was $15.4 million, or 28.5% of sales, compared with $7.2 million, or 14.3% of sales, in the prior-year period. Excluding the impact of IEEPA tariff recoveries in the quarter associated with previously incurred costs, adjusted gross profit was $8.4 million or 15.6% of sales, an approximately 17% increase from the prior-year period driven primarily by higher sales and operational improvements (see reconciliation table on page 10).

▪ Operating income of $6.7 million, or 12.4% of sales, compared to the prior year period's operating income of $1.6 million, or 3.2% of sales. Excluding the impacts of the above-referenced tariff-related recoveries, adjusted operating loss was $271 thousand compared to the prior-year period's adjusted operating loss of $1.9 million (see reconciliation table on page 10).

▪ Net income of $6.0 million, or $.47 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $231 thousand, or $(.02) per diluted share, in the prior-year period.

▪ An over 70% reduction in net debt, to $3.1 million, compared to net debt at 2026 fiscal year end of $10.9 million (see reconciliation table on page 9), with the Company maintaining $10.2 million in total cash, $13.3 million in total debt, and total liquidity of $29.4 million at first quarter end.

▪ Cash flow from operations increased to $8.1 million compared to cash used in operations of ($695) thousand in the prior year period, and free cash flow increased to $7.8 million from negative $(874) thousand in the prior-year period. Adjusted for capital expenditures of $314 thousand and other items, free cash flow increased to $8.0 million from $311 thousand in the prior year period (see reconciliation table on page 9).

Management Commentary

Iv Culp, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased with our first quarter results, namely our ability to increase sales and margins and to exceed our profitability expectations irrespective of the one-time tariff recoveries. We look at our first quarter results as more proof-of-concept that all of our work to integrate,

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CULP Announces Results for First Quarter Fiscal 2027

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restructure and optimize our platform is generating growth and profitability even in challenging conditions like those we continue to see across home furnishings. This is a clear testament to the CULP team's successful execution of our strategic plans over the last two years.

"Our bedding business grew its topline by over 13% in a low-unit market environment and with one less shipping week this quarter compared to last year. We believe our bedding sales trend is significantly exceeding industry norms and provides a good indication that our commercial strategies should provide continued revenue growth, especially once we see the industry replacement cycle that many believe is overdue. Our enhanced U.S. operations combined with flexible nearshore and offshore options are elevating our already strong customer relationships and driving our success in this business.

"We are also encouraged to see sales in our upholstery business nearly comp the prior-year quarter despite a shorter selling period, and we are pleased with placement rates within our largest upholstery end market, residential furniture. In addition, we saw growth on the hospitality and contract side of our upholstery business and are excited about the potential to further grow those verticals.

"Our emphasis on the balance sheet and cash flow management was well reflected in our first quarter results. Through the success of our inventory reduction initiatives and management systems, together with our use of the tariff-proceeds received during the quarter, we reduced net debt down to $3 million from $11 million at the end of last fiscal year, and we are focused on moving to a net cash position.

Overall, we are optimistic about the momentum we see across our business entering the second quarter and believe our lower cost structure and global footprint position us for continued success in this low-demand environment and accelerating profitability as conditions improve.

Financial Outlook

Due to macro-economic uncertainty and the fluid global trade and tariff environment, the Company is providing only limited forward guidance at this time, with such guidance based on information available at the time of this press release and reflecting certain assumptions by management regarding the Company's business, market and industry conditions.

▪ The Company expects consistent sequential sales volumes in the second quarter, with some growth over the prior-year quarter, and to continue to outpace bedding industry revenue trends in what it anticipates to remain a pressured demand environment for home furnishings.

▪ The Company expects the operational benefits of its recent integration and platform optimization initiatives, along with recent pricing and strategic actions, to drive break-even operating income for the second quarter, which would be a significant improvement from the comparable prior-year period in what remains a challenging market environment. The Company also expects accelerating adjusted EBITDA results for the second quarter.

▪ The Company will continue to prioritize debt reduction and free cash flow generation, and expects to continue improving its net debt position throughout the second quarter while maintaining some strategic borrowings under its China credit facilities to both maintain flexibility and leverage preferred interest rates.

Fiscal 2027 First Quarter Business Segment Highlights

Bedding

▪ Sales in this segment were $31.8 million for the first quarter, up 13.2% compared with the prior-year period despite there being one less week in the first quarter.

▪ Gross profit (excluding the impact of the tariff-related recoveries) in the bedding segment was $4.3 million, or 13.6% of sales, a significant improvement from the prior-year period's gross profit of $2.9 million, or 10.5% of sales, driven primarily by higher revenue and enhanced operating efficiencies.

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Upholstery

▪ Sales in this segment were $22.2 million for the first quarter, generally flat to prior-year period sales of $22.7 million despite the shorter selling period.

▪ Gross profit (excluding the impact of the tariff-related recoveries) was $4.1 million, or 18.6% of sales, compared to $4.3 million, or 18.9% of sales, in the prior-year period, reflecting consistent operating margins.

Conference Call

Culp, Inc. will hold a conference call to discuss financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2027 on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of this call can be accessed on the "Upcoming Events" section on the "Investor Relations" page of the Company's website, www.culp.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days under the "Past Events" section on the "Investor Relations" page of the Company's website.

About the Company

Culp, Inc. is one of the largest marketers of mattress fabrics for bedding and upholstery fabrics for residential, commercial, and hospitality furniture and other applications in North America. The Company markets a variety of fabrics to its global customer base of leading bedding and furniture companies, including fabrics produced at Culp's manufacturing facilities and fabrics sourced through other suppliers. Culp has manufacturing and sourcing capabilities located in the United States, China, Haiti, Turkey, and Vietnam.

Investor Relations Contact

Ken Bowling, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer:

(336) 881-5630

[email protected]