United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Down 4.3% on Analyst Downgrade

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) shares were down 4.3% during mid-day trading on Monday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating. The company traded as low as $48.22 and last traded at $48.6230. 368,939 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 702,845 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.83.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on UNFI. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Roth Capital reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $43.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other news, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total transaction of $515,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 51,119 shares in the company, valued at $2,635,695.64. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 60.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a PE ratio of -73.42 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $49.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

About United Natural Foods

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.