United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

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

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

United Natural Foods Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $39.38 on Monday. 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 has a 12 month low of $20.78 and a 12 month high of $43.29. The company has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.72 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.54.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. The business’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. Sell-side analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total value of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 60.7% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

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.