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

Key Points

• United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from thirteen analysts, with one sell rating, eight hold ratings, three buy ratings, and one strong buy rating.
• Analysts have recently adjusted price targets for UNFI, with BMO Capital Markets raising theirs from $36.00 to $48.00 while UBS increased theirs from $29.00 to $42.00.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings loss of ($0.11) EPS, beating expectations of ($0.18) EPS, but saw a 5.6% decline in year-over-year revenue.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $36.00.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $36.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total transaction of $411,538.05. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 89,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,161,798.64. This represents a 11.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,588,000. Praxis Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at $225,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 76,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 44,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,040,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 11,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 2,264 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 3.2%

United Natural Foods stock opened at $41.14 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.49. The company has a market cap of $2.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.10 and a beta of 0.88. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $19.62 and a 52-week high of $42.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 30th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.07. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 2.74% and a negative net margin of 0.37%.The company had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.01 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

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.

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