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

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.60.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total value of $200,005.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 118.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 177,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,993,000 after purchasing an additional 96,341 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,358,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,852,000 after purchasing an additional 14,928 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in United Natural Foods by 1.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,383,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,094,000 after buying an additional 34,522 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

NYSE:UNFI opened at $28.86 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a fifty-two week low of $8.58 and a fifty-two week high of $32.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.98. The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of -18.38 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.48.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The company had revenue of $7.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.04) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

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.