United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Gap Up on Insider Buying Activity

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $33.27, but opened at $34.99. United Natural Foods shares last traded at $34.42, with a volume of 117,832 shares.

Specifically, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $506,400.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 192,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,487,929.28. This trade represents a 8.47% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.30 per share, with a total value of $66,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 194,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,466,127.40. This trade represents a 1.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNFI. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Roth Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.00.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $35.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.43 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The business had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth $228,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $2,588,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at $442,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $364,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

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.