Hsbc Holdings PLC Acquires 171,289 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 196.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 258,586 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 171,289 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.43% of United Natural Foods worth $11,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key United Natural Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Natural Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat expectations: UNFI reported fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.69, above the $0.62 consensus and well ahead of a $0.11 loss in the year-ago period. The result marked a return to profitability and exceeded estimates despite modestly lower sales. UNFI Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY2027 outlook supports the stock: Management forecast adjusted EPS of $3.00–$3.50, with the midpoint above analysts’ $3.18 estimate. The company expects productivity improvements—not price increases—to drive margin expansion, while targeting leverage below 2x. UNFI Fiscal 2027 EPS and Leverage Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: New $200 million buyback: The board authorized a new share-repurchase program, potentially supporting per-share earnings and signaling confidence in the company’s cash-flow and balance-sheet plans. UNFI Announces New $200 Million Share Buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Sales and business mix remain mixed: Fourth-quarter revenue of $7.64 billion fell short of the $7.71 billion consensus and declined 0.7% year over year. Natural-product sales increased, but the conventional segment weakened. FY2027 revenue guidance of $31.2–$31.8 billion is also slightly below the $31.9 billion consensus. UNFI Natural Sales Rise as Conventional Segment Declines
• Negative Sentiment: Inflation remains a risk: Management expects additional inflation in FY2027, creating execution pressure as UNFI seeks to protect margins through productivity rather than higher prices. The company still reported a slightly negative net margin in the quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $515,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,119 shares in the company, valued at $2,635,695.64. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $44.93 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.51. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.97 and a 1 year high of $57.02. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of -68.07 and a beta of 0.80.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 8th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The company had revenue of $7.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. United Natural Foods'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. On average, research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNFI. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered United Natural Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $47.86.

About United Natural Foods

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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