United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) in a report issued on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a hold rating on the stock.

UNFI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.78.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of UNFI opened at $33.01 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.88. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $20.78 and a 52-week high of $43.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of -19.89 and a beta of 0.86.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,816,382.78. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 88.3% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 84.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 32.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.