United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Updates FY 2027 Earnings Guidance

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) issued an update on its FY 2027 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 3.000-3.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.180. The company issued revenue guidance of $31.2 billion-$31.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $31.9 billion.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI opened at $44.55 on Thursday. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $27.97 and a 52-week high of $57.02. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.25 and a beta of 0.80.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 8th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. United Natural Foods had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 0.27%.The firm had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.11) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.000-3.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNFI. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,635,695.64. This represents a 16.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting United Natural Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: UNFI reported fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.69, exceeding the $0.62 consensus and improving substantially from a $0.11 loss a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA increased 48.3% as margin gains and cost savings offset lower sales. UNFI Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Margin Gains and Cost Savings
• Positive Sentiment: Management authorized a new $200 million share-repurchase program, which could support per-share results and signals confidence in the company’s cash-generation plans. United Natural Foods Announces New $200M Share Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: UNFI forecast fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS of $3.00-$3.50 and expects profit and sales growth as it adds business from new and existing customers. The company also plans to reduce leverage to below two times. UNFI Outlines Fiscal 2027 Adjusted EPS and Leverage Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Natural-food sales increased, but the conventional-grocery segment declined, highlighting continued pressure on the company’s sales mix and grocery-distribution profitability. UNFI’s Natural Sales Rise as Conventional Segment Declines
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter revenue fell 0.7% year over year to $7.64 billion and missed the $7.71 billion analyst estimate. Fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $31.2-$31.8 billion is also below the $31.9 billion consensus, while management expects additional inflation and must rely on productivity rather than price increases to expand margins. UNFI Reports Lower Sales in Q4

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 52.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 111,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 38,504 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 5.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 35,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,703 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 58.1% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 332,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,120,000 after purchasing an additional 122,412 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 625,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,132,000 after buying an additional 58,705 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

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.