United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.40.

UNFI has been the subject of several research reports. Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 5.4 %

NYSE UNFI opened at $24.88 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.75. United Natural Foods has a 12 month low of $8.58 and a 12 month high of $25.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.16 and a beta of 0.62.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.94 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 0.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.25) EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,358,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,852,000 after buying an additional 14,928 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,383,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,094,000 after acquiring an additional 34,522 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at about $364,000. Hauser Brothers GmbH raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 0.6% during the third quarter. Hauser Brothers GmbH now owns 912,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,340,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth about $196,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

About United Natural Foods

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.