Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 28,119 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,664,356 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,119 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 6.01% of United Natural Foods worth $137,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UNFI. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 5.5% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,746,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,307,000 after purchasing an additional 142,485 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,544,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,308,000 after purchasing an additional 436,680 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,424,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,203,000 after buying an additional 27,943 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 196.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 925,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,583,000 after buying an additional 613,790 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in United Natural Foods by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 902,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,035,000 after buying an additional 39,142 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting United Natural Foods

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 EPS beat consensus and company swung to a profit, reporting $0.62 EPS vs. $0.51 expected — evidence of margin recovery. United Natural Foods, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: UNFI raised FY26 profit guidance (EPS 2.30–2.70) and increased adjusted EBITDA outlook (to ~$710M), signaling management confidence in margin expansion and cash-generation. United Natural Foods Boosts Profit Outlook, Lowers Sales Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted margin improvement, AI-driven supply-chain initiatives and deleveraging steps — strategic actions that could lift medium-term profitability. UNFI raises adjusted EBITDA outlook to $710M while advancing supply chain AI and deleveraging
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators view the pullback as an upgrade opportunity given improving margins and debt reduction progress. United Natural Foods’ Dip Offers An Opportunity For An Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q2 slide deck and earnings call transcripts are available for investors wanting line-item detail and management commentary (calls emphasize cost actions and execution plans). UNFI Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at the UBS Global Consumer & Retail Conference — a forum where they may provide more color on the margin roadmap and capital allocation. United Natural Foods to Participate at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations ($7.95B vs. ~$8.11B est.) and was down 2.6% year-over-year — a key reason for investor concern despite profit beat. United Natural Foods boosts profit forecast as Q4 revenue misses estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Company trimmed FY26 sales guidance to $31.0–31.4B (below Street revenue expectations), flagging near-term top-line pressure as management prioritizes margin improvements. UNFI slides after trimming FY26 sales outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Reporting and local coverage emphasize that UNFI is accepting a sales hit while pursuing a multi-year margin runway through 2028 — investors concerned about sustained revenue pressure may sell into the beat. Food distributor UNFI takes sales hit as it pursues higher margins through 2028

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI opened at $37.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.65 and a beta of 1.00. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.78 and a 52 week high of $43.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.64. 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 (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 4.35% and a negative net margin of 0.32%.The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James C. Pappas acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $66,600.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 194,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,466,127.40. This represents a 1.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,816,382.78. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.78.

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.