Insider Selling: United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) CAO Sells $140,953.88 in Stock

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 37,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.8%

United Natural Foods stock opened at $33.39 on Thursday. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of -20.11 and a beta of 0.82. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.78 and a 52 week high of $43.29.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 4.35% and a negative net margin of 0.32%.The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on UNFI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.00.

Institutional Trading of United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the third quarter worth about $241,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 60,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 2,106 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 36.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 130,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,899,000 after purchasing an additional 35,127 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $883,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.