Analysts Set United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Target Price at $13.40

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.40.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNFI shares. StockNews.com downgraded United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Roth Mkm reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 7th.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE UNFI traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $9.56. The company had a trading volume of 461,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 690,477. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $28.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The business's 50-day moving average is $11.40 and its 200 day moving average is $14.08. The stock has a market cap of $568.22 million, a PE ratio of -4.90 and a beta of 0.63.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.20% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The firm had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.87 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,434,767 shares of the company's stock worth $105,128,000 after purchasing an additional 277,636 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,040,105 shares of the company's stock worth $28,847,000 after purchasing an additional 199,757 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 136,489 shares of the company's stock worth $2,221,000 after purchasing an additional 27,005 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $538,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 176.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 172,033 shares of the company's stock worth $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 109,812 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.