United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Gap Up Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) shares gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $34.36, but opened at $38.27. United Natural Foods shares last traded at $37.9470, with a volume of 388,877 shares trading hands.

The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.17. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.37% and a positive return on equity of 2.74%. The business had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.91 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNFI has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $36.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Roth Capital boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.00.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total transaction of $411,538.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 89,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,161,798.64. This represents a 11.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Natural Foods by 88.3% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 1,672.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 975 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 11.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.60 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $38.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.64.

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.