Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 1.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,347,805 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74,491 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of United Natural Foods worth $276,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNFI. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 32.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in United Natural Foods by 56.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Waters Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

NYSE:UNFI opened at $38.18 on Friday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.78 and a fifty-two week high of $43.29. 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 50 day moving average price of $36.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.00 and a beta of 1.00.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 earnings per share. The firm’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 research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.78.

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.