United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

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

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNFI shares. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on 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 Price Performance

United Natural Foods stock opened at $24.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.08 and a beta of 0.62. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $20.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.44. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $8.58 and a 1 year high of $25.23.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 0.54%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.25) EPS. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total value of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,423 shares in the company, valued at $1,986,366.94. This trade represents a 13.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 953 shares during the last quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.6% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 37,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.4% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 94,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.