United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Upgraded to “Buy” by Northcoast Research

Northcoast Research upgraded shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $18.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI stock opened at $20.63 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of -10.92 and a beta of 0.63. United Natural Foods has a 52-week low of $8.58 and a 52-week high of $23.15.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 0.54% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.25) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods will post 0.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UNFI. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 953 shares in the last quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 17,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its position in United Natural Foods by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 37,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.4% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 94,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.