15. Income Taxes

Effective Income Tax Rate

Our consolidated effective income tax rates for the three-month periods ended August 2, 2026, and August 3, 2025, were based upon the estimated effective income tax rate applicable for the full year after giving effect to any significant items related specifically to interim periods. When calculating the annual estimated effective income tax rates for the three-month periods ended August 2, 2026, and August 3, 2025, we were subject to loss limitation rules. These loss limitation rules require any pre-tax loss associated with our U.S. or foreign operations to be excluded from the annual estimated effective income tax rate calculation if it was determined that no income tax benefit could be recognized during the current fiscal year. The effective income tax rate can be impacted over the fiscal year by the mix and timing of actual earnings from our U.S. operations and foreign subsidiaries located in China, Canada, Haiti, and Vietnam versus annual projections, as well as changes in foreign currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. dollar.

We recorded income tax expense of $868,000, or 12.7% of income before income taxes, for the three-month period ended August 2, 2026, compared with income tax expense of $1.4 million, or 120.3% of income before income taxes, for the three-month period ended August 3, 2025. The primary factors that decreased the company's effective income tax rate for the three months ended August 2, 2026, compared with August 3, 2025, follows:

U.S. Valuation Allowance

We evaluate the realizability of our U.S. net deferred income tax assets to determine if a valuation allowance is required. We assess whether a valuation allowance should be established based on the consideration of all available evidence using a “more-likely-than-not” standard, with significant weight being given to evidence that can be objectively verified. Since the company operates in multiple jurisdictions, we assess the need for a valuation allowance on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis, considering the effects of local tax law.

As of August 2, 2026, we evaluated the realizability of our U.S. net deferred income tax assets to determine if a full valuation allowance was required. Based on our assessment, we determined we still have a recent history of significant cumulative U.S. pre-tax losses in that we experienced U.S. pre-tax losses during each of the last three fiscal years from 2024 through 2026, as well as a moderate level of projected fiscal 2027 U.S. pre-tax income, which mostly relates to the tariff refunds totaling $6.9 million received during the first quarter. As a result of the significant weight of this negative evidence, we believe it is more-likely-than-not that our U.S. net deferred income tax assets will not be fully realizable, and therefore we provided for a full valuation allowance against our U.S. net deferred income tax assets.

Based on our assessments as of August 2, 2026, August 3, 2025, and May 3, 2026, valuation allowances applied against our U.S. net deferred income tax assets totaled $27.7 million, $27.0 million, and $28.7 million, respectively.

Undistributed Earnings

We assess whether the undistributed earnings from our foreign subsidiaries will be reinvested indefinitely or eventually distributed to our U.S. parent company and whether we are required to record a deferred income tax liability for those undistributed earnings from foreign subsidiaries that will not be reinvested indefinitely. As of August 2, 2026, we assessed the liquidity requirements of our U.S. parent company and determined that our undistributed earnings and profits from our foreign subsidiaries would not be reinvested indefinitely and would eventually be distributed to our U.S. parent company. The conclusion reached from this assessment was consistent with prior reporting periods.

A U.S. corporation is allowed a 100% dividend-received deduction for earnings and profits received from a 10% or more owned foreign corporation. Therefore, a deferred income tax liability will be required only for unremitted withholding taxes associated with earnings and profits generated by our foreign subsidiaries that will ultimately be repatriated to the U.S. parent company. As a result, as of August 2, 2026, August 3, 2025, and May 3, 2026, we recorded a deferred income tax liability of $3.6 million, $5.3 million, and $4.9 million, respectively. The decrease in this deferred income tax liability as of August 2, 2026, compared with August 3, 2025 and May 3, 2026, relates to withholding tax payments totaling $1.3 million that are related to the closure of the manufacturing facility located in Quebec, Canada.

Uncertain Income Tax Positions

An unrecognized income tax benefit for an uncertain income tax position can be recognized in the first interim period if the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met by the end of the reporting period, or is effectively settled through examination, negotiation, or litigation, or if the statute of limitations for the relevant taxing authority to examine and challenge the tax position

has expired. If it is determined that any of the above conditions occur regarding our uncertain income tax positions, an adjustment to our unrecognized income tax benefit will be recorded at that time.

As of August 2, 2026, our gross unrecognized income tax benefit of $1.1 million as of August 2, 2026, relates to an income tax position for which significant change is currently not expected within the next year.

Income Taxes Paid