United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Key Points

• Several analysts raised targets—Wells Fargo increased its target to $40 while keeping an equal weight rating and BMO lifted its target to $52 with an outperform—but the broker consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $39.78.
• UNFI beat Q2 EPS ($0.62 vs. $0.51) but missed revenue ($7.95B vs. $8.11B); management raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $2.30–$2.70 and lifted adjusted EBITDA guidance to ~$710M, fueling an ~8.4% intraday rally to $40.86.
• Ownership signals are mixed: a director bought 15,000 shares while the CAO sold 4,261 shares, institutional ownership is high at ~87.6% and insiders own about 2.4% of the stock.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target indicates a potential downside of 2.11% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price target on United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $39.78.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 8.4%

UNFI traded up $3.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.86. 506,929 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 754,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a PE ratio of -24.59 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $37.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.64. United Natural Foods has a one year low of $20.78 and a one year high of $43.29.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.11 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. United Natural Foods's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $506,400.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 192,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,487,929.28. This represents a 8.47% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 60.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Natural Foods News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting United Natural Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO (and other analysts) raised targets and upgraded UNFI, boosting investor sentiment—BMO raised its price target to $52 and put an “outperform” rating on the stock. BMO and Wells Fargo Raise Targets on Matador (MTDR) and United Natural Foods (UNFI) After Solid Beats
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 EPS beat: UNFI reported $0.62 EPS vs. $0.51 expected and raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $2.30–$2.70 (above consensus), and lifted adjusted EBITDA guidance to ~$710M — positive for profitability/valuation expectations. United Natural Foods, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to margin improvement and cost actions: coverage notes improved margins, rising cash flow and active deleveraging/supply-chain AI work—these operational improvements supported a post-earnings rally. United Natural Foods (UNFI) Stock Rallies on Stronger Margins and Strategic Cost Management
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access / visibility: UNFI will present at the UBS Global Consumer & Retail Conference (management webcast March 12), providing additional opportunity for guidance color and analyst Q&A. United Natural Foods to Participate at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Street view remains mixed: brokerages’ average rating stands at “Hold,” indicating some continued caution despite upgrades from select firms. United Natural Foods, Inc. NYSE: UNFI Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and lowered sales outlook: Q2 revenue was $7.95B vs. ~$8.11B expected (down 2.6% YoY), and management trimmed FY26 sales guidance — the revenue shortfall and lower top-line outlook pressured shares after the release. United Natural Foods' Mixed Q2 Results, Cuts Sales Outlook

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.