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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.50.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. CL King upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1,672.7% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 975 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 796.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

United Natural Foods stock traded down $1.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $25.97. 1,800,041 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 695,840. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.48. United Natural Foods has a one year low of $11.88 and a one year high of $34.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.54 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.79.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.96 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The firm's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict 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.