United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.7778.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNFI shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price objective on United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 8th.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI stock opened at $40.21 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $35.26 and a 200 day moving average of $34.14. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $20.78 and a 1 year high of $43.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.22 and a beta of 1.00.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. The business’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. As a group, research analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In related news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total value of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $506,400.00. Following the completion of 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 0.8% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,664,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,824,000 after purchasing an additional 28,119 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,746,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,307,000 after purchasing an additional 142,485 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,544,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,308,000 after buying an additional 436,680 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in United Natural Foods by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,389,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,444,000 after buying an additional 23,967 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,468,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,456,000 after buying an additional 41,674 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

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.