United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) delivered a stronger-than-anticipated start to fiscal 2026, reporting earnings that surpassed Wall Street expectations and maintaining its outlook for the year ahead.
By 07:06 ET, the stock was up nearly 2% in premarket trading.
For the fiscal first quarter, adjusted earnings per share climbed to $0.56, comfortably above the $0.40 analysts had projected. Revenue slipped 0.4% to $7.8 billion, coming in just shy of the $7.91 billion consensus estimate.
Adjusted EBITDA rose sharply, increasing almost 25% to $167 million.
CEO Sandy Douglas said the company’s performance reflected ongoing execution improvements and stronger operational capabilities.
“We started fiscal 2026 with another quarter of solid execution and continued progress in delivering more value to our customers and suppliers as we strengthen effectiveness and efficiency,” Douglas said.
“Our network optimization is proceeding ahead of schedule, and the benefits of recent supply chain investments, coupled with process improvements, is enabling us to strengthen service levels and increase throughput.”
The company also reaffirmed its full-year fiscal 2026 guidance.