United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.300-2.700 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.150. The company issued revenue guidance of $31.0 billion-$31.4 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $32.1 billion.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 8.1%

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $40.73 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.33 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.67. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $20.78 and a 12-month high of $43.29.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.11 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 6.05% and a negative net margin of 0.25%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UNFI. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Friday, January 9th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,816,382.78. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total value of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at $1,236,166.52. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about United Natural Foods

Here are the key news stories impacting United Natural Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 EPS beat and profit / margin progress — UNFI reported $0.62 EPS (above estimates) and management raised adjusted-EBITDA guidance (to about $710M), highlighting margin improvement, rising cash flow and supply-chain/AI initiatives that support a path to higher profitability. UNFI raises adjusted EBITDA outlook to $710M while advancing supply chain AI and deleveraging
• Positive Sentiment: BMO raises price target to $52 (Outperform) — BMO bumped its target to $52, signaling substantial upside vs. the recent share price and calling the beat supportive of a higher valuation. This is a meaningful bullish analyst endorsement. United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Given New $52.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets
• Positive Sentiment: Other analysts lift forecasts — Multiple shops have boosted their models and targets after the quarter, reflecting improved margin assumptions and the EPS beat. That analyst support helps underpin the rally. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On United Natural Foods Following Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raises target but stays cautious — Wells Fargo lifted its target (from $35 to $40) but kept an “equal weight” rating, signaling the firm sees improvement but not a clear outperformance. That limits the bullish momentum from some other upgrades. Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and trimmed sales guidance — Revenue fell ~2.6% YoY to $7.95B and UNFI trimmed FY26 revenue guidance below consensus, which triggered investor concern that top-line weakness could limit margin gains if volume recovery lags. United Natural Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Sales Guidance Lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to trimmed sales outlook — The lowered sales outlook prompted a near-term pullback in some trading sessions as investors balanced margin improvement against weaker top-line momentum. UNFI slides after trimming FY26 sales outlook

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,389,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,444,000 after purchasing an additional 23,967 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,468,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,456,000 after buying an additional 41,674 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,300,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,922,000 after buying an additional 374,487 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,119,773 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,703,000 after acquiring an additional 117,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 889,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,944,000 after purchasing an additional 127,617 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Natural Foods

United Natural Foods, Inc (NYSE: UNFI) is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI’s core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.