Analysts Set United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Price Target at $13.40

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.40.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. StockNews.com downgraded United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total transaction of $49,656.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNFI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 3.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,434,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,128,000 after purchasing an additional 277,636 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,040,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,847,000 after buying an additional 199,757 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 136,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,221,000 after buying an additional 27,005 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $538,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 176.5% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 172,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 109,812 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI opened at $9.56 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a 12 month low of $8.58 and a 12 month high of $28.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $11.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market cap of $568.25 million, a PE ratio of -4.90 and a beta of 0.63.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 1.20%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. United Natural Foods’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.