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

Key Points

• Analysts broadly rate United Natural Foods “Hold”: Of nine covering firms, six recommend holding, two recommend buying and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $47.86, close to the stock’s $47.02 opening price.
• Recent quarterly results fell short of expectations: UNFI reported adjusted EPS of $0.77 versus the $0.81 consensus and revenue of $7.72 billion versus $7.79 billion expected. Revenue declined 4.2% year over year, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance is $2.40–$2.60.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial, with institutions holding 87.63% of shares; BlackRock made a new investment worth approximately $477.7 million. Separately, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares worth about $515,600, reducing his position by 16.36%.

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $47.8571.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Capital reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Natural Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research downgraded 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 reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $47.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter worth about $477,650,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 155.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,732,060 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053,081 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,672,000. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,885,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 40.4% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,300,414 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,922,000 after buying an additional 374,487 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $47.02 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a twelve month low of $24.88 and a twelve month high of $57.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of -71.24 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.79 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 7.42% and a negative net margin of 0.12%.United Natural Foods's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.44 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. Analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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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