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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.40.

UNFI has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $20.33 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a twelve month low of $8.58 and a twelve month high of $23.15. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of -8.44 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $17.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,949,617.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 317.2% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 661.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,879 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.