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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.6250.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UNFI shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In related news, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $506,400.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 192,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,487,929.28. This represents a 8.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the company’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 directly owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 60.7% during the fourth 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. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 3.1%

NYSE UNFI opened at $40.20 on Wednesday. United Natural Foods has a 52 week low of $20.78 and a 52 week high of $43.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.10. The firm has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a PE ratio of -30.92 and a beta of 1.00.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced 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. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.25% and a positive return on equity of 6.05%. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

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.