United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Lifted to Buy at Northcoast Research

Northcoast Research upgraded shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of United Natural Foods from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $18.40.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE:UNFI opened at $20.63 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.92 and a beta of 0.63. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $23.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.24.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.94 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 0.54%. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.25) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total transaction of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,986,366.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 953 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $548,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.8% during the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 162,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after buying an additional 18,400 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth $233,000. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth about $661,000. 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.