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

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. 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 Stock Up 6.6%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $38.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.38. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $20.78 and a 1 year high of $43.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.57. The firm has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.42 and a beta of 1.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UNFI shares. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,236,166.52. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas bought 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $506,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 192,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,487,929.28. This trade represents a 8.47% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Natural Foods News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and profitability pickup: UNFI reported $0.62 EPS vs. $0.51 consensus and swung to a quarterly profit, showing margin improvement that investors favor. UNFI Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded profitability guidance: Management boosted fiscal‑year profit outlook and issued FY26 EPS guidance of $2.30–$2.70, above the $2.15 consensus — a clear positive for earnings expectations. WSJ: Boosts Profit Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Management visibility event scheduled: CFO Matteo Tarditi will speak at the UBS Global Consumer & Retail Conference (Mar 12), giving investors a chance to hear more about margin drivers and the strategic plan. BusinessWire: UBS Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/feature coverage explores margin levers like AI: Articles question whether AI and other efficiency moves can offset sales pressure — this frames the narrative that margins (not sales) may drive near‑term stock performance. Investing.com: Can AI Offset Sales Pressure?
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and lowered sales guidance: Quarterly revenue was $7.95B vs. $8.11B expected, and full‑year sales guidance was lowered to $31.0–$31.4B (below the ~$32.1B consensus), a clear headwind for top‑line growth expectations. TalkMarkets: Earnings Recap

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $656,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 52.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 111,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after purchasing an additional 38,504 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in United Natural Foods by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 35,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 1,703 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in United Natural Foods by 58.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 332,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,120,000 after buying an additional 122,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 625,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,132,000 after buying an additional 58,705 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.