BlackRock Inc. Takes Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 10.46 million shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter, worth approximately $477.7 million and representing a 17.28% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 87.63% of UNFI.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with two Buy, six Hold and one Sell rating; the consensus is Hold with a $47.86 price target.
• UNFI reported quarterly EPS of $0.77, below the $0.81 consensus, while revenue fell 4.2% year over year to $7.72 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.40–$2.60.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,458,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $477,650,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 17.28% of United Natural Foods at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,184,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth about $1,901,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter worth about $244,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,672,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on UNFI. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $47.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,635,695.64. This represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 0.9%

United Natural Foods stock opened at $48.46 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $48.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -73.42 and a beta of 0.84. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.95 and a 52 week high of $57.02.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $7.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.79 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The company's revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc NYSE: UNFI is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI's core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.

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