United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded United Natural Foods from "buy" to "hold"; across analysts the stock has 3 buys, 6 holds and 1 sell, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.63.
• In the latest quarter UNFI reported $0.62 EPS (beating estimates by $0.11) but missed revenue expectations with $7.95 billion, down 2.6% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance of $2.30–$2.70 EPS (sell-side forecast 2.52).
• The shares opened at $51.18 (near a 1-year high of $51.74) with a market cap of $3.11 billion, a negative trailing P/E of -39.37, and high institutional ownership at 87.63%.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on UNFI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.63.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 0.1%

UNFI opened at $51.18 on Monday. United Natural Foods has a 1-year low of $20.78 and a 1-year high of $51.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.37 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $43.21 and a 200-day moving average of $38.86.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 6.05% and a negative net margin of 0.25%.The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. United Natural Foods's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 3,182.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 34,265 shares of the company's stock worth $1,544,000 after buying an additional 33,221 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 137.1% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 87,297 shares of the company's stock worth $3,909,000 after buying an additional 50,483 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 167.9% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,131 shares of the company's stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 3,216 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $9,733,000. Finally, Revisor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,188 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

About United Natural Foods

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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