United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Hits New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• 52-week high: Shares of United Natural Foods hit a new 52-week high near $49.89 (last around $49.55) and trade well above their 50-day ($42.98) and 200-day ($38.82) moving averages.
• Mixed analyst views — consensus Hold: Three analysts rate UNFI Buy, six Hold and one Sell, producing a MarketBeat consensus "Hold" with a $43.63 price target, even as BMO raised its target to $52/outperform and UBS to $44/neutral.
• Q earnings and guidance: UNFI beat on EPS ($0.62 vs. $0.51 est.) but missed on revenue ($7.95B vs. $8.11B), reported a slight negative net margin (-0.25%), and set FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.30–$2.70 (analysts expect $2.52).

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $49.89 and last traded at $49.55, with a volume of 66183 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $48.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNFI shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $43.63.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.52 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.98 and a 200-day moving average of $38.82.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $9,733,000. Revisor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $200,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 285.9% during the 1st quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 93,683 shares of the company's stock worth $4,221,000 after buying an additional 69,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $243,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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