United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.40.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNFI. Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on 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, 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.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of UNFI stock opened at $22.84 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of -12.08 and a beta of 0.62. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $23.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $19.59 and its 200 day moving average is $15.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.44.

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

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total value of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 100,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,986,366.94. This trade represents a 13.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 317.2% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 2,763 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 661.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 2,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 39.6% in the first quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 6,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares during the period. 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.