United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.50.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNFI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target 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. Finally, 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $157,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in United Natural Foods by 47.7% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after acquiring an additional 10,199 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth about $239,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 352.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 108,181 shares of the company's stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 84,257 shares during the period. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $336,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of UNFI stock traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.67. The stock had a trading volume of 588,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 704,721. The company has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.99 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Natural Foods has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $34.76. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.03.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 earnings per share 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.