United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on UNFI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. CL King raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $24.78. 56,020 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 711,257. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $28.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.78 and a beta of 1.08. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $324,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 368.8% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 62,830 shares of the company's stock worth $1,813,000 after purchasing an additional 49,427 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,383,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,094,000 after buying an additional 34,522 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in United Natural Foods by 118.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 177,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,993,000 after acquiring an additional 96,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.