United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Now Covered by Analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Equities researchers at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) in a research report issued on Thursday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the stock.

UNFI has been the topic of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. UBS Group boosted their price target on United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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 note on Wednesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.00.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:UNFI traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $32.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 167,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 905,998. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.59 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.87. United Natural Foods has a 12 month low of $20.78 and a 12 month high of $43.29.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 4.35% and a negative net margin of 0.32%.The business had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. Equities analysts predict that United Natural Foods will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, Director James C. Pappas purchased 15,000 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $506,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 192,178 shares in the company, valued at $6,487,929.28. The trade was a 8.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,369 shares in the company, valued at $1,236,166.52. The trade was a 10.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 0.8% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,664,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,824,000 after acquiring an additional 28,119 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in United Natural Foods by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,746,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,307,000 after purchasing an additional 142,485 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,544,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,308,000 after buying an additional 436,680 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,424,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,203,000 after buying an additional 27,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 40.4% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,300,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,922,000 after acquiring an additional 374,487 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

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.