Z-Trim (OTCMKTS:FBER) versus United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Critical Comparison

Z-Trim (OTCMKTS:FBER) and United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Z-Trim and United Natural Foods”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Z-Trim	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
United Natural Foods	$31.54 billion	0.10	-$118.00 million	($1.30)	-38.72

Z-Trim has higher earnings, but lower revenue than United Natural Foods.

Profitability

This table compares Z-Trim and United Natural Foods’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Z-Trim	N/A	N/A	N/A
United Natural Foods	-0.25%	6.05%	1.27%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.6% of United Natural Foods shares are owned by institutional investors. 82.4% of Z-Trim shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.4% of United Natural Foods shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Z-Trim and United Natural Foods, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Z-Trim	0	0	0	0	0.00
United Natural Foods	1	6	3	0	2.20

United Natural Foods has a consensus target price of $43.63, suggesting a potential downside of 13.33%. Given Z-Trim’s higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Z-Trim is more favorable than United Natural Foods.

Summary

United Natural Foods beats Z-Trim on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Z-Trim

Agritech Worldwide, Inc. does not have significant business operations. Previously, it developed products and processes that converted agricultural by-products into multi-functional ingredients for use in the food manufacturing and other industries. The company was formerly known as Z Trim Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Agritech Worldwide, Inc. in April 2016. Agritech Worldwide, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in New York, New York.

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. It also provides nuts, dried fruit, seeds, trail mixes, granola, natural and organic snack items, and confections under the Woodstock Farms Manufacturing name; organic, non-GMO project verified, and specialty food and non-food items under the Blue Marble brand name; pet food under the WILD HARVEST brand name; and various products under the ESSENTIAL EVERYDAY, SHOPPERS VALUE, Field Day, EQUALINE, CULINARY CIRCLE, and STONE RIDGE CREAMERY brand names. In addition, the company provides home, health and beauty care, and pharmacy products, as well as private label products through a network of Cub Foods and Shoppers retail grocery stores; and retail store support, pricing strategy, shelf and planogram management, advertising, couponing, ecommerce, consumer convenience, store design, equipment sourcing, electronic payments processing, network and data hosting, point-of-sale hardware and software, automation tools, sustainability, and administrative back-office solution services. Further, it offers consumer and trade marketing programs, and programs to support suppliers in understanding its markets. The company serves chains, independent retailers, and supernatural chains, as well as foodservice, ecommerce, conventional military business, and other sales customers. United Natural Foods, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.