United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $34.36, but opened at $38.27. United Natural Foods shares last traded at $37.9470, with a volume of 388,877 shares changing hands.

The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 2.74% and a negative net margin of 0.37%.United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNFI. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Roth Capital upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $36.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $656,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 41.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 3,650 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 26.0% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 4,092 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in United Natural Foods by 20.2% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 38,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after acquiring an additional 6,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 66,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,809,000 after acquiring an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $38.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.69. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.12 and a beta of 0.82.

About United Natural Foods

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.