United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded United Natural Foods (UNFI) from a "hold" to a buy rating in a research note released Sunday.
• Analyst opinions remain mixed — three Buy, six Hold and one Sell — giving a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.63, though some firms have raised targets as high as $56.
• UNFI's latest quarter showed an EPS beat ($0.62 vs. $0.51) but a revenue miss ($7.95B vs. $8.11B); management set FY2026 guidance of 2.30–2.70 EPS and the shares trade near their 52‑week high (~$49) with a market cap around $2.92B.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised United Natural Foods from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $56.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.63.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 1.0%

United Natural Foods stock opened at $48.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.52. United Natural Foods has a 1-year low of $20.78 and a 1-year high of $49.84. The company has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of -36.98 and a beta of 0.83. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $42.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.68.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $7.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.11 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 6.05% and a negative net margin of 0.25%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.700 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter worth $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in the third 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 acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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