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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.50.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNFI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. CL King raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of UNFI opened at $27.08 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.25 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.84. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.96 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. United Natural Foods’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. Analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $424,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 31,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $873,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.