United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on United Natural Foods from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.63.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 3.3%

NYSE:UNFI opened at $41.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.81. United Natural Foods has a one year low of $20.78 and a one year high of $43.29. The firm has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.05 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.33.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.11. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, Director James C. Pappas bought 15,000 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $506,400.00. Following the transaction, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the 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 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 owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during 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 acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. 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.