Brokerages Set United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Target Price at $16.60

Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.40.

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNFI. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total transaction of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 100,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,986,366.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $548,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 162,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after purchasing an additional 18,400 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $661,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 393.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 86,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 69,111 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 2.7 %

UNFI opened at $19.85 on Wednesday. United Natural Foods has a fifty-two week low of $8.58 and a fifty-two week high of $23.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $15.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.24 and a beta of 0.63.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 0.54%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.25) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods will post 0.65 EPS for the current 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.