United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $36.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNFI shares. Zacks Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $37.16 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.61. 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 0.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.05 and a beta of 0.88.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 1st. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.07. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.37% and a positive return on equity of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total transaction of $411,538.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 89,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,161,798.64. This trade represents a 11.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $241,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 60,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after buying an additional 2,106 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 130,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,899,000 after buying an additional 35,127 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $883,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, wellness and personal care items, and bulk and foodservice products.