United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently commented on UNFI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.78.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE:UNFI opened at $38.74 on Monday. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $20.78 and a 12-month high of $43.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.34 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $34.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS 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 company had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, 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 value of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,236,166.52. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,816,382.78. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.