United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook: United Natural Foods has an average “Hold” rating from 10 brokerages, with eight holds and two buys. The average 12-month price target is $50.29.
• Institutional ownership remains high: Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of UNFI, while Amundi significantly increased its stake during the second quarter.
• Quarterly results were mixed: UNFI reported adjusted earnings of $0.69 per share, beating estimates of $0.62, but revenue of $7.64 billion fell short of expectations and declined 0.7% year over year.

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.29.

Several analysts have issued reports on UNFI shares. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Roth Capital restated a "neutral" rating and set a $45.00 price objective (up from $43.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Core Capital Management & Research inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at $46,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $104,000. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 51,301 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,343,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1,489.8% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 193,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,834,000 after buying an additional 181,263 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.4%

UNFI opened at $45.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $46.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.48. United Natural Foods has a 1-year low of $30.02 and a 1-year high of $57.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.30 and a beta of 0.80.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 8th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. United Natural Foods had a return on equity of 10.51% and a net margin of 0.27%.The business had revenue of $7.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.000-3.500 EPS. Analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About United Natural Foods

United Natural Foods, Inc NYSE: UNFI is a distributor of natural, organic, specialty, fresh and conventional food products in the United States and Canada. The company supplies grocery retailers, independent stores, supermarkets, e-commerce businesses, foodservice operators and other customers with a broad range of products.

UNFI's offerings include produce, perishables, center-store groceries, refrigerated and frozen foods, beverages, supplements, personal-care products and household items.

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