United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Monday, July 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.86.

United Natural Foods Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $48.65 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -73.70 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.51. United Natural Foods has a 1 year low of $24.88 and a 1 year high of $57.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $49.65 and a 200 day moving average of $45.36.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.04). United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The business had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.79 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.44 EPS. United Natural Foods’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Natural Foods will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 51,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,635,695.64. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $656,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 52.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 111,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,064,000 after acquiring an additional 38,504 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in United Natural Foods by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 35,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,703 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 58.1% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 332,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,120,000 after acquiring an additional 122,412 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 10.4% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 625,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,132,000 after purchasing an additional 58,705 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc (NYSE: UNFI) is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI’s core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.