How Are Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT) Club Openings and Same-Club Sales Shaping Its Outlook?

Sonal Goyal

06 November 2026 04:17 PM AEDT

How Are Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT) Club Openings and Same-Club Sales Shaping Its Outlook?

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Key Highlights

Total Revenue increased 9.0% to $360.0 million in the third quarter of 2026.
System-wide same club sales rose 1.5% year over year.
Adjusted EBITDA grew to $146.2 million, from $140.8 million a year earlier.
The company raised its 2026 same club sales and revenue expectations.

Planet Fitness (NYSE:PLNT), an operator and franchisor of fitness clubs, reported third-quarter 2026 results for the period ended September 30, 2026. Total revenue rose 9.0% to $360.0 million, and system-wide sales increased to about $1.3 billion. The company also opened 33 new clubs across its system and updated its full-year 2026 expectations. The release shows a Business whose revenue growth depends on both new openings and the performance of existing clubs.

Revenue growth of 9.0% outpaced same club sales growth of 1.5%, a gap that the company's expansion of its club base helps explain. Newly opened clubs contribute to revenue from the start, while same-club comparisons include only clubs that have been open long enough to be measured on a like-for-like basis.

Revenue and System-Wide Sales

Total revenue for the quarter was $360.0 million, an increase of 9.0% from the prior-year period. System-wide sales rose by $53.4 million to about $1.3 billion, reflecting activity across both company-owned and franchised clubs. The release describes system-wide sales as the total sales generated by all clubs in the network, which is a different measure from the company's own reported revenue.

Because a franchisor earns much of its revenue from fees tied to Franchisee sales, the relationship between system-wide sales and reported revenue is an important indicator. Readers can compare the two measures to understand how much of the network's activity flows through to the company's income statement.

Same Club Sales and Club Growth

System-wide same club sales, which measure sales growth at clubs open for a full comparable period, increased 1.5% in the quarter. The figure reflects the performance of established clubs and is widely watched in the fitness sector as a gauge of member activity and pricing.

The company opened 33 new clubs system-wide during the period. New clubs add to the revenue base over time, but they can also dilute same-club comparisons in the short term, since new locations take time to reach mature sales levels. The release does not separate the contribution of new clubs from that of existing ones.

Earnings Measures and Adjusted EBITDA

The release reports Net Income attributable to Planet Fitness of $52.0 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, compared with $58.8 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted net income was $61.9 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, compared with $67.0 million, or $0.80 per diluted share, a year earlier.

Adjusted EBITDA increased to $146.2 million from $140.8 million, a gain of $5.4 million. The company's adjusted measures exclude items it considers outside its core operating results, and the reconciliation tables in the release show each adjustment. The difference between adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA reflects depreciation, interest and tax effects.

The revised same club sales estimate of approximately 1.5% to 2% sits above the earlier view of about 1%, suggesting that the company's year-to-date trend supported a higher outlook. The release does not specify the drivers of same-club sales in the quarter, such as membership levels or pricing.

Raised 2026 Expectations

For the year ending December 31, 2026, Planet Fitness raised several expectations. It now expects system-wide same club sales growth of approximately 1.5% to 2%, up from about 1%. Revenue is expected to rise approximately 8%, compared with a prior estimate of 7%, and adjusted EBITDA is expected to increase approximately 6.5%, up from 6%.

The company also expects approximately 135 to 140 new equipment placements in franchisee-owned clubs during 2026. Equipment placements are a leading indicator of club construction and upgrade activity, which in turn support future Franchise and equipment revenue.

Readers following the company may compare the 33 new clubs opened this quarter with the 135 to 140 equipment placements expected for the year to gauge whether construction activity is on pace with the company's plans.

The company's raised outlook covers four measures at once: same club sales, revenue, adjusted EBITDA and equipment placements. Taken together, they describe a plan in which club openings, same-club performance and franchise equipment activity all contribute to the company's growth, and the release provides the detail for each.

Outlook

Planet Fitness' third-quarter report combines revenue growth of 9%, modest same-club sales growth, rising adjusted EBITDA and higher full-year expectations. The company's future results will depend on whether same-club sales growth moves toward the upper end of its revised range and whether the pace of new club openings continues through the remainder of the year.

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