Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Stock

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) had its target price boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 0.72% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price objective on United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, January 8th. 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. Finally, Zacks Research lowered United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.63.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $40.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of -30.99 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.71. United Natural Foods has a fifty-two week low of $20.78 and a fifty-two week high of $43.29.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.11 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.25% and a positive return on equity of 6.05%. The business’s revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. Analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $506,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 192,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,487,929.28. This represents a 8.47% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake 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 stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about United Natural Foods

Here are the key news stories impacting United Natural Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker upgrades/target raises lift sentiment — BMO raised its target to $52 and kept an outperform rating, signaling strong upside from some firms. BMO target
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its target to $46 (hold), giving the stock additional analyst support. Deutsche Bank note
• Positive Sentiment: Roth Capital nudged its target to $38 from $35, and Wells Fargo’s commentary was framed as a positive forecast — more analyst backing after Q2 results. Roth Capital note
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 earnings were mixed: UNFI beat EPS expectations but revenue declined year-over-year and management trimmed its sales outlook; analysts have reacted with both raises and caution. Earnings summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at the UBS Global Consumer & Retail Conference (transcript available), reiterating strategic optimizations and margin initiatives that investors will watch for execution. UBS presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage consensus remains around “hold” on average even as some firms raise targets — mixed broker sentiment may limit momentum. Analyst consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder legal notice alleges insiders may have breached fiduciary duties; while at this stage it’s an inquiry/solicitation, litigation risk can create downside pressure and uncertainty. Legal notice
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue softness and a lowered sales outlook from management remain the main fundamental headwinds — these drove cautious parts of the analyst response despite EPS beat. Sales dip coverage

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.