United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Coverage Initiated at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UNFI. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.78.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $32.49 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. United Natural Foods has a twelve month low of $20.78 and a twelve month high of $43.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.00 and its 200-day moving average is $31.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.57 and a beta of 0.86.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The business had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This trade represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $66,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 194,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,466,127.40. The trade was a 1.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $656,000. Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter worth $228,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter worth $2,588,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at $442,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at $364,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% 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.