United Natural Foods (UNFI) Q3 2026 Earnings
How Did UNFI Stock React to Q3 2026 Earnings?
S&P 500 over the same 30 days: +1.64%.
Did UNFI Beat Earnings? Q3 2026 Results
No. United Natural Foods reported Q3 2026 earnings of $0.77 a share on Jun 9, 2026, missing the $0.77 consensus estimate by 0.2%. Revenue was $7.7B against a $7.8B estimate.
United Natural Foods posted a narrow miss on both top and bottom lines in its fiscal third quarter of 2026, with adjusted EPS of $0.77 falling short of the $0.77 consensus by just 0.19% and revenue of $7.72 billion coming in 1.03% below the $7.80 billion estimate, even as the wholesale grocer extended its streak of consensus EPS beats to four consecutive quarters. The 4.2% year-over-year revenue decline was largely intentional, with management attributing roughly 450 basis points of the drop to deliberate network optimization, including the completed exit of its Allentown, Pennsylvania distribution center and the unwinding of low-margin project work in its Natural segment. Beneath the softer top line, profitability improved materially, with Adjusted EBITDA climbing 16.6% to $183.00 million and GAAP net income swinging to $33.00 million from a loss of $7.00 million a year ago. Looking ahead, UNFI narrowed its full-year guidance to net sales of $31.10 to $31.30 billion and Adjusted EPS of $2.40 to $2.60, maintaining midpoints while signaling continued confidence in its margin-focused transformation.
- Network optimization actions contributed approximately 450 basis points to sales decline but improved profitability
- Gross profit rate improved to 13.6% from 13.4% driven by network optimization and customer mix
- Operating expenses reduced by nearly 7% with operating expense rate improved by nearly 40 basis points
- Insurance proceeds of $20 million from cybersecurity incident recovered in the quarter
- Lower interest expense driven by lower average outstanding debt balances
- Adjusted EBITDA increased 16.6% to $183 million
“Through disciplined execution of our value creation strategy, we delivered underlying sales growth, higher profitability, and strong free cash flow, which strengthened our balance sheet and increased our financial flexibility. At the same time, we advanced capabilities to help our customers and suppliers grow profitably, while continuing to invest in next generation supply chain solutions that are steadily improving our effectiveness and efficiency.”
United Natural Foods CEO, on the earnings call
What Was United Natural Foods's Outlook in Q3 2026?
UNFI narrowed its full-year fiscal 2026 guidance ranges while maintaining midpoints. Updated outlook: Net sales of $31.1–$31.3 billion (prior $31.0–$31.4 billion); Net income of $55–$70 million (prior $50–$75 million); EPS of $0.90–$1.10 (prior $0.80–$1.20); Adjusted EPS of $2.40–$2.60 (prior $2.30–$2.70); Adjusted EBITDA of $685–$705 million (prior $680–$710 million); Capital and cloud implementation expenditures of ~$250 million; Free cash flow of ~$330 million. The outlook does not include any incremental impact from insurance proceeds.
UNFI YoY Financials
| Metric | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Year over year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $7.7B | $8.1B | −4.2% |
| Gross Profit | $1.0B | $1.1B | −3.0% |
| Operating Income | $66.0M | $15.0M | +340.0% |
| Net Income | $33.0M | $4.9M | +571.4% |
UNFI Revenue by Segment
Figures from SEC filings and company reports. Not investment advice.