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

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 issued on Sunday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.38.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNFI traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $48.81. 410,945 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 656,800. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business's fifty day moving average is $50.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.39. United Natural Foods has a one year low of $23.36 and a one year high of $57.02. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of -73.96 and a beta of 0.83.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.79 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The business's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.44 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,119 shares in the company, valued at $2,635,695.64. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Danielle Benedict sold 4,807 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $249,964.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 98,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,120,440. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 84.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

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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