United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• United Natural Foods, Inc. has received an average analyst recommendation of "Hold", with seven analysts advising hold and two recommending buy; the average target price is $28.13.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.44, surpassing estimates of $0.22, and achieved revenue of $8.06 billion, reflecting a 7.5% increase year-over-year.
• Institutional ownership is notable, with hedge funds holding 87.63% of the company's stock, indicating strong institutional confidence in United Natural Foods.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $28.1250.

Several research analysts have weighed in on UNFI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price target on United Natural Foods and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on United Natural Foods from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. UBS Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 188,642 shares of the company's stock worth $5,152,000 after acquiring an additional 29,357 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 2,671.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 56,177 shares of the company's stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 54,150 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,253,000. Finally, Lisanti Capital Growth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,570,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $27.4040 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $25.10 and a 200 day moving average of $26.86. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of -23.83 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $13.28 and a 12-month high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.22. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The company had revenue of $8.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.700-0.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

About United Natural Foods

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.

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