Brokerages Set United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Target Price at $18.40

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.40.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.5 %

United Natural Foods stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.84. 321,948 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,783. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $17.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.23 and a beta of 0.63. United Natural Foods has a fifty-two week low of $8.58 and a fifty-two week high of $23.15.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 0.54% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.25) earnings per share. United Natural Foods's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In other news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 88,218 shares in the company, valued at $1,949,617.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,008 shares of the company's stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position 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. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at $548,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.8% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 162,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 18,400 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently 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.