United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded United Natural Foods to “hold” from “strong buy.” The broader analyst consensus is also “hold,” with two buys, six holds and one sell, and an average price target of $47.86.
• UNFI shares opened at $48.65, above the consensus price target, after trading between $24.88 and $57.02 over the past year. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $49.65 and its 200-day moving average is $45.36.
• The company’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with adjusted EPS of $0.77 versus the $0.81 consensus and revenue of $7.72 billion versus $7.79 billion expected. Quarterly revenue declined 4.2% year over year, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $2.40–$2.60.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Monday, July 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Roth Capital reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Natural Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $47.86.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $48.65 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.36. United Natural Foods has a 1-year low of $24.88 and a 1-year high of $57.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -73.70 and a beta of 0.84.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $7.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.44 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $515,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,119 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,635,695.64. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in 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 bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by 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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