Sifting through countless of stocks in the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc.

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, markets, sells, and distributes fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company also provides MOXe, an all-in-one foodservice business application. Its customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations. The company was formerly known as USF Holding Corp. and changed its name to US Foods Holding Corp. in February 2016. US Foods Holding Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.

United Natural Foods, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional food 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 care, pharmacy, pet food, produce, meat, dairy, and organic/non-GMO products under the essential everyday, shoppers value, wild harvest, field day, stone ridge creamery, equaline, culinary circle, super chill, arctic shores seafood company, koyo, and woodstock brands. It also engages in the manufacture of natural and organic snack food; importing, roasting, packaging, and distributing of nuts, dried fruit, seeds, trail mixes, granola, natural and organic snack items, and confections under the Woodstock Farms Manufacturing brand; and operation of grocery and liquor stores under the Cub Foods and Shoppers brands. In addition, the company provides shelf and planogram management, retail store support, pricing strategy, shelf tags, electronic payments and coupon processing, store layout and design, equipment sourcing and procurement, point-of-sale hardware and software, network and data hosting solutions, consumer convenience services, automation tools, sustainability services, and administrative back-office solutions; consumer and trade marketing programs; and programs to support suppliers in understanding its markets. Further, it offers web and digital marketing services, such as websites, digital coupon and loyalty programs, mobile applications, e-commerce, and circular programs; and various supply chain, digital, and professional services. It serves grocery chains and retailers. United Natural Foods, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.

Latest Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods, Inc. Stock News

As of September 30, 2026, US Foods Holding Corp. had a $19.9 billion market capitalization, compared to the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail median of $5.2 million. US Foods Holding Corp.’s stock is NA in 2026, NA in the previous five trading days and up 20.14% in the past year.

Currently, US Foods Holding Corp.’s price-earnings ratio is 28.4. US Foods Holding Corp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $40.1 billion with a 1.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 4.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.780 per share for the current fiscal year. US Foods Holding Corp. does not currently pay a dividend.

Currently, United Natural Foods, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 33.4. United Natural Foods, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $31.2 billion with a 0.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -0.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.346 per share for the current fiscal year. United Natural Foods, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
US Foods Holding Corp.	USFD	C
United Natural Foods, Inc.	UNFI	B

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

US Foods Holding Corp. has a Value Score of 42, which is Average. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a Value Score of 73, which is Value.

The Value Stock Winner: United Natural Foods, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, United Natural Foods, Inc. is considered to have better value than US Foods Holding Corp.. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, United Natural Foods, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
US Foods Holding Corp.	USFD	A
United Natural Foods, Inc.	UNFI	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

US Foods Holding Corp. has a Quality Score of 88, which is Very Strong. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a Quality Score of 86, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
US Foods Holding Corp.	USFD	C
United Natural Foods, Inc.	UNFI	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

US Foods Holding Corp. has a Momentum Score of 57, which is Average. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 65, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: United Natural Foods, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, United Natural Foods, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to US Foods Holding Corp.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, United Natural Foods, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. Grades

In addition to Value, Momentum and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods or Inc. Stock?

Overall, US Foods Holding Corp. stock has a Value Score of 42, Momentum Score of 57 and Quality Score of 88.

United Natural Foods, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 73, Momentum Score of 65 and Quality Score of 86.

Comparing US Foods Holding Corp., United Natural Foods and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.