United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded United Natural Foods from a "buy" to a Hold; the stock's consensus rating is Hold with an average target price of $43.63 (3 Buy, 6 Hold, 1 Sell).
• UNFI beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.62 vs. $0.51) but missed revenue ($7.95B vs. $8.11B), with revenue down 2.6% year‑over‑year and FY2026 guidance set at 2.300–2.700 EPS.
• Shares opened at $48.95 and trade near the 52‑week high ($49.09); the company has a market cap of $2.97B, a negative P/E of -37.65, and roughly 87.6% institutional ownership.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday.

UNFI has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Natural Foods from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $56.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $43.63.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

NYSE UNFI opened at $48.95 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $20.78 and a 1 year high of $49.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.65 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.43.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.25% and a positive return on equity of 6.05%. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. The business's revenue 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, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 60.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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