United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.40.

UNFI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,655,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 1.6% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 117,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in United Natural Foods by 30.4% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 43,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 10,247 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 220,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 16,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 138,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,632,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE UNFI opened at $9.67 on Friday. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $8.58 and a 1 year high of $28.37. The business’s fifty day moving average is $11.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $574.78 million, a P/E ratio of -4.96 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.53.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.20% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

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.