Brokerages Set United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Target Price at $22.60

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.60.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

UNFI opened at $25.88 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.14 and a 200-day moving average of $17.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.48 and a beta of 0.64. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $32.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The company had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total value of $200,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 88,218 shares in the company, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 12.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 7.6% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 6.6% during the second quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 17,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 3.6% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 37,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 85.7% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. 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.