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

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.00.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on UNFI shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Roth Capital restated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $33.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.11 and a beta of 0.82. United Natural Foods has a 12 month low of $20.78 and a 12 month high of $43.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $36.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.10.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 4.35% and a negative net margin of 0.32%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at $1,236,166.52. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total transaction of $411,538.05. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 89,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,161,798.64. This represents a 11.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 25,355 shares of company stock valued at $879,742 in the last ninety days. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 32.0% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.