Want to see UNFI full AI Analyst Report?
Top Page
United Natural Foods
(NYSE:UNFI)
Select Model
Select Model
Rating:50Neutral
Price Target:
$47.00
▼(-3.89% Downside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:07/09/26
The score is held back primarily by pressured financial performance (declining revenue, very thin margins, and recent net losses with elevated leverage), plus weak near-term technical momentum. These are partially offset by strong cash generation and a generally positive earnings call focused on improved profitability, free cash flow, and deleveraging, with modest additional support from lower borrowing costs and strategic leadership changes.
Positive Factors
Cash Generation
UNFI consistently generates material operating and free cash flow despite accounting losses. Durable cash conversion supports capital allocation for deleveraging, targeted share repurchases, supply‑chain investments and working capital, giving the company flexibility in a low‑margin distribution model.
Negative Factors
Top-line Pressure
Revenue contraction and razor‑thin operating margins expose UNFI to cash‑flow volatility from modest sales swings. In a high‑fixed‑cost distribution model, sustained top‑line weakness erodes operating leverage, constrains reinvestment and amplifies difficulty returning to consistent profitability.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Cash Generation
UNFI consistently generates material operating and free cash flow despite accounting losses. Durable cash conversion supports capital allocation for deleveraging, targeted share repurchases, supply‑chain investments and working capital, giving the company flexibility in a low‑margin distribution model.
Read all positive factors
United Natural Foods (UNFI) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$2.96B
Dividend YieldN/A
Average Volume (3M)759.14K
Price to Earnings (P/E)―
Beta (1Y)0.78
Revenue Growth-3.22%
EPS Growth44.69%
CountryUS
Employees28,333
SectorConsumer Defensive
Sector Strength42
IndustryFood Distribution
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)-0.63
Shares Outstanding60,519,140
10 Day Avg. Volume537,743
30 Day Avg. Volume759,136
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio-3.72
Price to Book (P/B)1.05
Price to Sales (P/S)0.05
P/FCF Ratio6.80
Enterprise Value/Market Cap2.07
Enterprise Value/Revenue0.20
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit1.46
Enterprise Value/Ebitda14.52
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$49.80Price Target Upside1.84% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering7
EPS Forecast (FY)2.54
Revenue Forecast (FY)$31.22B
United Natural Foods Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), founded in 1976 and based in Providence, Rhode Island, functions as a prominent distributor of a wide spectrum of products across the United States and Canada. The company supplies natural, organic, and specialty...
How the Company Makes Money
UNFI primarily makes money by buying food and consumer products from manufacturers and other suppliers and reselling them at a markup through its wholesale distribution business. Revenue is recognized mainly from product sales delivered through it...
United Natural Foods Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Jun 09, 2026
(Q3-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Oct 06, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call highlighted meaningful progress on profitability, cash generation and balance sheet improvement — with adjusted EBITDA up ~17%, adjusted EPS improving materially, free cash flow growth and a lower net leverage ratio. Management also emphasized tangible early benefits from AI and supply chain investments, new digital offerings and private brand innovation. However, these positives are tempered by a reported 4.2% sales decline driven by strategic optimization actions (450 bps impact), a nearly 14% drop in conventional sales, retail store closures, the unwind of project-based work (~200 bps drag), and near-term pressure from rising fuel/transportation costs and consumer headwinds. On balance, the company demonstrated strong execution on margins, cash flow and deleveraging while acknowledging top-line and macro challenges, and reiterated confidence in returning to low-single-digit sales growth in fiscal 2027.Positive Updates
Strong Profitability and Margin Expansion
Adjusted EBITDA grew nearly 17% year-over-year to $183 million, with adjusted EBITDA margin expanding ~40 basis points to ~2.4% of net sales. Adjusted EPS increased to $0.77 from $0.44 in the prior year.
Negative Updates
Reported Sales Decline
Third quarter net sales were approximately $7.7 billion, a decline of 4.2% year-over-year. Reported top-line was pressured by strategic actions and one-off items.
Read all updates
Q3-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Strong Profitability and Margin Expansion
Adjusted EBITDA grew nearly 17% year-over-year to $183 million, with adjusted EBITDA margin expanding ~40 basis points to ~2.4% of net sales. Adjusted EPS increased to $0.77 from $0.44 in the prior year.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
UNFI reiterated midpoints and narrowed expected ranges for net sales, net income, EPS, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS—anchoring the year at an adjusted EBITDA midpoint of $695 million—while noting it has embedded Q4 fuel/transportation pressure and stepped‑up technology/supply‑chain investments into that guidance. Key metrics driving the outlook: Q3 net sales ≈ $7.7B (‑4.2% YoY; ≈450 bps headwind from accretive optimization), gross margin 13.6% (+≈20 bps), operating expense rate 12.4% (‑≈40 bps), adjusted EBITDA $183M (+≈17%, ≈2.4% margin), adjusted EPS $0.77 vs $0.44 prior year, free cash flow $54M in Q3 and $243M YTD (+$90M), net leverage 2.5x (‑0.8 turns) with net debt $1.63B, and share repurchases ~1M shares for ~$38M. Operational datapoints informing guidance include natural sales +4%+, conventional sales ≈‑14%, retail sales ≈‑10% (SSS ≈‑4%), DC productivity +7%+, on‑time deliveries +4% YTD, avg miles/delivery ≈‑5%, and lean deployed in 40 DCs; management expects to fully cycle a large project by Q3 FY27 and to return to low‑single‑digit sales growth in FY27, with low‑single‑digit food inflation through year‑end.United Natural Foods Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
42
Neutral
Balance Sheet
45
Neutral
Cash Flow
63
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Jul 2025 | Jul 2024 | Jul 2023 | Jul 2022 | Jul 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 31.21B | 31.78B | 30.98B | 30.27B | 28.93B | 26.95B |
| Gross Profit | 4.18B | 4.22B | 4.20B | 4.13B | 4.18B | 3.94B |
| EBITDA | 421.00M | 498.00M | 328.00M | 444.00M | 732.00M | 599.00M |
| Net Income | -38.00M | -118.00M | -112.00M | 24.00M | 248.00M | 149.00M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 7.19B | 7.59B | 7.53B | 7.39B | 7.63B | 7.53B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 43.00M | 44.00M | 40.00M | 37.00M | 44.00M | 41.00M |
| Total Debt | 3.15B | 3.45B | 3.55B | 3.27B | 3.38B | 3.43B |
| Total Liabilities | 5.59B | 6.04B | 5.89B | 5.65B | 5.84B | 6.01B |
| Stockholders Equity | 1.60B | 1.55B | 1.64B | 1.74B | 1.79B | 1.51B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 329.00M | 239.00M | -92.00M | 301.00M | 80.00M | 304.00M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 503.00M | 470.00M | 253.00M | 624.00M | 331.00M | 614.00M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -158.00M | -218.00M | -342.00M | -339.00M | -49.00M | -237.00M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -354.00M | -248.00M | 92.00M | -292.00M | -279.00M | -384.00M |
United Natural Foods Technical Analysis
Positive
48.90
Price Trends
50.18
Negative
46.52
Positive
41.62
Positive
Market Momentum
-0.67
Negative
50.78
Neutral
74.58
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For UNFI, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 48.9 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 48.73, below the 50-day MA of 50.18, and above the 200-day MA of 41.62, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.67 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 50.78 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 74.58 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for UNFI.
United Natural Foods Risk Analysis
United Natural Foods disclosed 25 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. United Natural Foods reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
United Natural Foods Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (62)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
70 Outperform | $3.91B | 47.30 | 13.54% | ― | 10.01% | 22.30% | |
66 Neutral | $1.18B | 41.46 | 3.93% | ― | -10.53% | -37.53% | |
62 Neutral | $20.33B | 14.63 | -3.31% | 3.23% | 1.93% | -12.26% | |
53 Neutral | $2.46B | 19.79 | 10.17% | 1.44% | -1.98% | 18.34% | |
50 Neutral | $2.96B | -78.26 | -2.43% | ― | -3.22% | 44.69% |
* Consumer Defensive Sector Average
UNFI
United Natural Foods
48.98
25.22
106.14%
ANDE
The Andersons
74.79
37.53
100.73%
CHEF
The Chefs' Warehouse
97.44
31.68
48.18%
AVO
Mission Produce
13.27
1.17
9.67%
United Natural Foods Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
United Natural Foods Announces Major Leadership Reorganization
Positive
Jul 9, 2026
On July 7, 2026, United Natural Foods’ board approved leadership changes aimed at strengthening execution of its value creation strategy, effective August 3, 2026. The company appointed President and CFO Giorgio Matteo Tarditi as President a...
Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
United Natural Foods Lowers Term Loan Interest Margin
Positive
Jun 22, 2026
On June 18, 2026, United Natural Foods and its affiliated borrowers amended their existing term loan agreement, repricing approximately $371 million of outstanding debt. The amendment reduces the applicable margin over the secured overnight financ...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.