United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives $22.60 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.60.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

UNFI opened at $26.47 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.90 and a 200-day moving average of $17.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.48. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $32.20. The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of -16.86 and a beta of 0.64.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.04) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related 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 directly owns 100,423 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 661.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,879 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 37,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 6.6% in the 2nd 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. Bfsg LLC lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 27.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 2,874 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 343,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,494,000 after buying an additional 13,165 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.