United Natural Foods, Inc. UNFI

Competitive advantage analysis · consumer-defensive

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
45/100
Developing

Ranked against 13 peers in Food Distribution

About United Natural Foods, Inc.

United Natural Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in three segments: Natural, Wholesale, and Retail. The company distributes grocery and general merchandise, perishables, frozen food, wellness and personal care items, bulk and foodservice, home, health and beauty … Full UNFI analysis →

Key strengths

  • Revenue Growth Consistent Revenue growth volatility is low (stability score 0.92), suggesting sticky customer base.

Key risks

  • ROIC Below WACC or Peers ROIC at 33.3th percentile suggests inefficient capital deployment.
  • Inconsistent Cash Generation Cash generation is inconsistent (score 0.38), indicating operational challenges.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Moderate
51
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where UNFI ranks in Food Distribution

United Natural Foods, Inc. ranks #9 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score — the top 64%. The widest moat in the group is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
5 Performance Food Group Company PFGC 58/100 Moderate
6 The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. CHEF 57/100 Moderate
7 Mission Produce, Inc. AVO 55/100 Moderate
8 The Andersons, Inc. ANDE 53/100 Moderate
9 United Natural Foods, Inc. UNFI 45/100 Developing
10 Mannatech, Incorporated MTEX 37/100 Developing
11 AMCON Distributing Company DIT 34/100 Developing
12 Top Wealth Group Holding Limite TWG 32/100 Developing
13 HF Foods Group Inc. HFFG 23/100 Weak

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How UNFI scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 50 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 33 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 71 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 35 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 37 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 31 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding UNFI's moat

What is United Natural Foods, Inc.'s moat score?

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) scores 45 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #9 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution, the top 64%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 13 companies in Food Distribution. Its strongest defense is Customer Stickiness (71/100) and its weakest is Scale & Market Position (31/100).

How does United Natural Foods, Inc. compare with other Food Distribution companies?

United Natural Foods, Inc. ranks #9 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score. The widest moat in Food Distribution is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75/100. The companies ranked closest are The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE) at 52 just above it and Mannatech, Incorporated (MTEX) at 37 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 13 companies in Food Distribution. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is United Natural Foods, Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for United Natural Foods, Inc.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and UNFI scores: Pricing Power (50), Cost Advantage (33), Customer Stickiness (71), Capital Efficiency (35), Resilience (37), Scale & Market Position (31). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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