United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives $28.13 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Key Points

• United Natural Foods, Inc. has received an average analyst rating of "Hold", with seven analysts rating it as such and two assigning a buy rating.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed an earnings per share of $0.44, significantly beating the consensus estimate of $0.22, along with an increase in revenue of 7.5% year-over-year.
• Institutional investors have shown strong interest, with several firms significantly increasing their stakes, reflecting confidence in the company's future performance.

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.13.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on United Natural Foods from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,229 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 66,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,809,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 13,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 36.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE UNFI traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.24. The company had a trading volume of 281,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 883,457. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of -23.69 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.11. United Natural Foods has a twelve month low of $12.00 and a twelve month high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $7.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. United Natural Foods's revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.