=United Natural Foods (UNFI) reported earnings on Thur 20 Sept 2018 (a/h)

United Natural Foods misses by $0.10, reports revs in-line; guides FY19 EPS in-line, revs above consensus 

• Reports Q4 (Jul) earnings of $0.76 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.10 worse thanthe S&P Capital IQ Consensus of $0.86; revenues rose 10.7% year/year to $2.59 bln vs the $2.61 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus. 
• Gross margin for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 was 14.50%, a decrease of 125 basis points, impacted by a shift in customer mix where net sales growth of their largest customer outpaced growth of other customers with higher margin and by an increase in inbound freight costs.
• Co issues guidance for FY19, sees EPS of $3.48-3.58, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $3.54 S&P Capital IQ Consensus; sees FY19 revs of $11.1-11.3 bln vs. $11.03 bln S&P Capital IQ Consensus.
• Following the expected close of the SUPERVALU acquisition in Q4, the Company plans to host and webcast an investor day in Orlando, FL on January 16, 2019, to further discuss its long-term strategic objectives and opportunities.