United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Stock Rating Upgraded by Northcoast Research

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Northcoast Research from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Northcoast Research's price target indicates a potential upside of 35.90% from the stock's current price.

UNFI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.13.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $26.49 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. United Natural Foods has a 12 month low of $12.00 and a 12 month high of $34.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.13. The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.03 and a beta of 0.82.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.22. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.21% and a positive return on equity of 3.13%. The firm had revenue of $8.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1,672.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 975 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 796.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, wellness and personal care items, and bulk and foodservice products.

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