United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.7778.

Several equities research analysts have commented on UNFI shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Friday, January 9th.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $35.04 on Tuesday. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $20.78 and a 12-month high of $43.29. The company has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.11 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.59.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.17. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 4.35% and a negative net margin of 0.32%.The firm had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.91 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.16 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities research analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,816,382.78. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNFI. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.