First Trust Advisors LP Buys 28,180 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 155.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,251 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 28,180 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.08% of United Natural Foods worth $2,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 60.7% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $47.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -71.24 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.55. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.88 and a 52-week high of $57.02.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.79 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered United Natural Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,635,695.64. This represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.40% 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.