United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.50.

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNFI. CL King upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 796.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

UNFI stock opened at $26.67 on Wednesday. United Natural Foods has a 1-year low of $8.58 and a 1-year high of $34.76. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.10. The company has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.99 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal 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.