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

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

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 796.2% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $27.60 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $29.23 and its 200 day moving average is $25.28. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.58 and a beta of 0.56. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $34.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

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

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.