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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.00.

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNFI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.6%

UNFI stock opened at $33.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of -20.19 and a beta of 0.82. United Natural Foods has a one year low of $20.78 and a one year high of $43.29. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $35.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.38.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The firm’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in United Natural Foods by 196.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 925,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,583,000 after buying an additional 613,790 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 721.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 615,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,170,000 after purchasing an additional 540,897 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 20.7% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,544,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,308,000 after purchasing an additional 436,680 shares during the period. Towle & Co. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the third quarter worth approximately $13,724,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its position in United Natural Foods by 428.7% in the 1st quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 270,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,402,000 after purchasing an additional 219,145 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is 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.