United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Down 8.6% – Should You Sell?

by · The Markets Daily

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI – Get Free Report)’s share price traded down 8.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $32.65 and last traded at $32.8750. 303,840 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 926,244 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.95.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $36.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $36.10.

View Our Latest Research Report on United Natural Foods

United Natural Foods Trading Down 6.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.23 and a beta of 0.82.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 2.74% and a negative net margin of 0.37%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total value of $411,538.05. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 89,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,161,798.64. This represents a 11.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 41.3% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 3,650 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 4,092 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 38,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 66,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,809,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

About United Natural Foods

(Get Free Report)

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.

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