Is United Natural Stock a Good Investment?

United Natural Investment Advice

  UNFI
To provide specific investment advice or recommendations on United Natural Foods stock, we recommend investors consider the following general factors when evaluating United Natural Foods. This will help you to make an informed decision on whether to include United Natural in one of your diversified portfolios:
  • Examine United Natural's financial health by looking at its balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Analyze key financial ratios, such as Price-to-Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), and Price-to-Book (P/B), to determine whether the stock is fairly valued or over/undervalued.
  • Research United Natural's leadership team and their track record. Good management can help United Natural navigate difficult times and make strategic decisions that benefit shareholders and increases its net worth.
  • Consider the overall health of the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail space and any emerging trends that could impact United Natural's business and its evolving consumer preferences.
  • Compare United Natural's performance and market position to its competitors. Analyze how United Natural is positioned in terms of product offerings, innovation, and market share.
  • Check if United Natural pays a dividend and its dividend yield and payout ratio.
  • Review what financial analysts are saying about United Natural's stock and their price targets. However, remember that analysts' opinions can vary, and their predictions may not always be accurate.
It's important to note that investing in United Natural Foods stock, carries risks, and you should carefully consider your investment goals and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions. Also, remember that it's important for investors to have a long-term perspective and a well-diversified portfolio to manage the impact of stock market volatility on their investments. Below is a detailed guide on how to decide if United Natural Foods is a good investment.
 
Sell
 
Buy
Strong Buy
Our trade recommendation module complements current analysts and expert consensus on United Natural Foods. It analyzes the company potential to grow using all fundamental, technical, and market related data available at the time. To make sure United Natural Foods is not overpriced, please validate all United Natural fundamentals, including its price to earning, cash per share, price to earnings to growth, as well as the relationship between the gross profit and book value per share . Given that United Natural Foods has a price to earning of 13.19 X, we advise you to double-check United Natural Foods market performance and probability of bankruptcy to ensure the company can sustain itself in the current economic cycle given your current risk tolerance and investing horizon.

Market Performance

GoodDetails

Volatility

Not too volatileDetails

Hype Condition

Low keyDetails

Current Valuation

Fairly ValuedDetails

Odds Of Distress

LowDetails

Economic Sensitivity

Follows the market closelyDetails

Investor Sentiment

AlarmedDetails

Analyst Consensus

HoldDetails

Financial Strenth (F Score)

HealthyDetails

Financial Leverage

Not RatedDetails

Reporting Quality (M-Score)

Unlikely ManipulatorDetails

Examine United Natural Stock

Researching United Natural's stock involves analyzing various aspects of the company and its industry to make an informed investment decision. The key areas to focus on are fundamentals, business model and competitive advantage. It is also important to analyze trends in revenue, net income, and cash flow, as well as key financial ratios, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and debt-to-equity (D/E). About 90.0% of the company outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors. The company has Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 1.04. Historically many companies with similar price-to-book (P/B) ratio do better than the market in the long run. United Natural Foods recorded a loss per share of 1.57. The entity last dividend was issued on the 29th of October 2010. The firm had 2:1 split on the 20th of April 2004.
To determine if United Natural is a good investment, evaluating the company's potential for future growth is also very important. This may include expanding into new markets, launching new products or services, or improving operational efficiency. Companies with strong growth prospects can be more attractive investments. This aspect of the research should be conducted in the context of the overall market and industry in which the company operates and should include an analysis of growth potential, competitive landscape, and any regulatory or economic factors that could impact the business. Some of the essential points regarding United Natural's research are outlined below:
United Natural Foods appears to be risky and price may revert if volatility continues
The company reported the previous year's revenue of 30.98 B. Net Loss for the year was (110 M) with profit before overhead, payroll, taxes, and interest of 4.2 B.
Over 90.0% of the company outstanding shares are owned by institutional investors
Latest headline from finance.yahoo.com: Is The New York Times Company Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year

United Natural Quarterly Cost Of Revenue

6.83 Billion

United Natural uses earnings reports to provide investors with an update of all three financial statements, including the income statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. Therefore, it is also crucial when considering investing in United Natural Foods. Every quarterly earnings report provides investors with an overview of sales, expenses, and net income for the most recent period. It also may provide a comparison to United Natural's previous reporting period. The quarterly earnings reports are usually disseminated to the public via Form 10-Q, which is a legal document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission every quarter.
13th of March 2024
Upcoming Quarterly Report
View
5th of June 2024
Next Financial Report
View
31st of January 2024
Next Fiscal Quarter End
View
24th of September 2024
Next Fiscal Year End
View
31st of October 2023
Last Quarter Report
View
31st of July 2023
Last Financial Announcement
View
Earnings surprises can significantly impact United Natural's stock price both in the short term and over time. Negative earnings surprises usually result in a price decline. However, it has been seen that positive earnings surprises lead to an immediate rise in a stock's price and a gradual increase over time. This is why we often hear news about some companies beating earning projections. Financial analysts spend a large amount of time predicting earnings per share (EPS) along with other important future indicators. Many analysts use forecasting models, management guidance, and additional fundamental information to derive an EPS estimate. Below are the table of largest EPS Surprises United Natural's investors have experienced.
Reported
Fiscal Date
Estimated EPS
Reported EPS
Surprise
2000-09-12
2000-07-310.080.07-0.0112 
2000-06-06
2000-04-300.050.060.0120 
2004-06-01
2004-04-300.20.220.0210 
2004-03-02
2004-01-310.160.180.0212 
2001-03-06
2001-01-310.090.07-0.0222 
2000-03-06
2000-01-31-0.02-0.04-0.02100 
2023-09-26
2023-07-31-0.29-0.250.0413 
2020-03-11
2020-01-310.280.320.0414 

United Natural Target Price Consensus

United target price is determined by taking all analyst projections and averaging them out. There is no one specific way to measure analysts' performance other than comparing it to past results via a very sophisticated attribution analysis. United Natural's target price projections below should be used in combination with other traditional price prediction techniques such as stock price forecasting, investor sentiment analysis, technical analysis, earnings estimate, and various momentum models.
   11  Hold
Most United analysts issue ratings four times a year, at intervals of three months. Ratings are usually accompanied by a target price to help potential investors understand United stock's fair price compared to its market value. Analysts arrive at stock ratings after researching the public financial statements of United Natural Foods, talking to its executives and customers, or listening to those companies' conference calls.
Macroaxis Advice   Exposure   Valuation

United Natural Target Price Projection

United Natural's current and average target prices are 28.58 and 28.88, respectively. The current price of United Natural is the price at which United Natural Foods is currently trading. On the other hand, United Natural's target price is what analysts think the stock is worth or could sell for in the future. The more significant the discrepancy between the two prices, the more it stimulates investors to act.

Current Price

United Natural Market Quote on 17th of January 2025

Low Price27.93Odds
High Price28.72Odds

28.58

Target Price

Analyst Consensus On United Natural Target Price

Low Estimate26.28Odds
High Estimate32.05Odds

28.875

Historical Lowest Forecast  26.28 Target Price  28.88 Highest Forecast  32.05
Note that most analysts generally publish their price targets in research reports on specific companies, along with recommendations for the company's stock.Although price targets are often quoted in the financial news media, there could be a delay between the publication of the latest analyst outlook on United Natural Foods and the information provided on this page.

United Natural Analyst Ratings

United Natural's analyst stock recommendations are determined by taking an average estimate of all analysts we track and classifying them as Strong Buy, Buy, Hold, Strong Sell, or Sell. Ratings generally communicate what analysts sense about United Natural stock, and they use a lot of effort and time to analyze it and arrive at a rating. That suggests that analyst recommendations are the outcome of an objective and thorough examination of United Natural's financials, market performance, and future outlook by experienced professionals. United Natural's historical ratings below, therefore, can serve as a valuable tool for investors.

Know United Natural's Top Institutional Investors

Have you ever been surprised when a price of an equity instrument such as United Natural is soaring high without any particular reason? This is usually happening because many institutional investors are aggressively trading United Natural Foods backward and forwards among themselves. United Natural's institutional investor refers to the entity that pools money to purchase United Natural's securities or originate loans. Institutional investors include commercial and private banks, credit unions, insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, endowments, and mutual funds. Operating companies that invest excess capital in these types of assets may also be included in the term and may influence corporate governance by exercising voting rights in their investments.
Shares
Hauser Brothers Gmbh2024-09-30
912 K
Gate City Capital Management, Llc2024-09-30
804.3 K
Towle & Co2024-09-30
776.5 K
Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc2024-09-30
742 K
Nuveen Asset Management, Llc2024-09-30
639.7 K
Northern Trust Corp2024-09-30
637.8 K
Goldman Sachs Group Inc2024-09-30
608.4 K
Bridgeway Capital Management, Llc2024-09-30
571.6 K
Valueworks Llc2024-09-30
501.7 K
Blackrock Inc2024-09-30
9.6 M
Vanguard Group Inc2024-09-30
7.9 M
Note, although United Natural's institutional investors appear to be way more sophisticated than retail investors, it remains unclear if professional active investment managers can reliably enhance risk-adjusted returns by an amount that exceeds fees and expenses.

United Natural's market capitalization trends

The company currently falls under 'Mid-Cap' category with a current market capitalization of 1.68 B.

Market Cap

1.88 Billion

United Natural's profitablity analysis

Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Return On Tangible Assets 0.02  0.02 
Return On Capital Employed 0.09  0.15 
Return On Assets 0.02  0.02 
Return On Equity 0.10  0.08 
Determining United Natural's profitability involves analyzing its financial statements and using various financial metrics to determine if United Natural is a good buy. For example, gross profit margin measures United Natural's profitability after accounting for the cost of goods sold, while net profit margin measures profitability after accounting for all expenses. Other important metrics include return on assets, return on equity, and free cash flow. By reviewing multiple sources and metrics, you can gain a complete picture of United Natural's profitability and make more informed investment decisions.

Evaluate United Natural's management efficiency

United Natural Foods has return on total asset (ROA) of 0.0123 % which means that it generated a profit of $0.0123 on every $100 spent on assets. This is way below average. Similarly, it shows a return on stockholder's equity (ROE) of (0.065) %, meaning that it created substantial loss on money invested by shareholders. United Natural's management efficiency ratios could be used to measure how well United Natural manages its routine affairs as well as how well it operates its assets and liabilities. The United Natural's current Return On Capital Employed is estimated to increase to 0.15, while Return On Tangible Assets are projected to decrease to 0.02. As of now, United Natural's Other Current Assets are increasing as compared to previous years. The United Natural's current Total Current Assets is estimated to increase to about 4.1 B, while Net Tangible Assets are projected to decrease to under 905.1 M.
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Book Value Per Share 25.23  13.51 
Tangible Book Value Per Share 10.05  7.97 
Enterprise Value Over EBITDA 8.97  11.25 
Price Book Value Ratio 1.31  2.50 
Enterprise Value Multiple 8.97  11.25 
Price Fair Value 1.31  2.50 
Enterprise Value1.6 B1.6 B
The strategic decisions made by United Natural management significantly impact its financial stability and market performance. Evaluating these factors helps determine whether the stock is a worthwhile investment.
Beta
0.618

Basic technical analysis of United Stock

As of the 17th of January 2025, United Natural has the Coefficient Of Variation of 676.38, risk adjusted performance of 0.1313, and Semi Deviation of 2.18. In relation to fundamental indicators, the technical analysis model makes it possible for you to check existing technical drivers of United Natural Foods, as well as the relationship between them.

United Natural's insider trading activities

Some recent studies suggest that insider trading raises the cost of capital for securities issuers and decreases overall economic growth. Trading by specific United Natural insiders, such as employees or executives, is commonly permitted as long as it does not rely on United Natural's material information that is not in the public domain. Local jurisdictions usually require such trading to be reported in order to monitor insider transactions. In many U.S. states, trading conducted by corporate officers, key employees, directors, or significant shareholders must be reported to the regulator or publicly disclosed, usually within a few business days of the trade. In these cases United Natural insiders are required to file a Form 4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when buying or selling shares of their own companies.

United Natural's Outstanding Corporate Bonds

United Natural issues bonds to finance its operations. Corporate bonds make up one of the largest components of the U.S. bond market, which is considered the world's largest securities market. United Natural Foods uses the proceeds from bond sales for a wide variety of purposes, including financing ongoing mergers and acquisitions, buying new equipment, investing in research and development, buying back their own stock, paying dividends to shareholders, and even refinancing existing debt. Most United bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when United Natural Foods has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

Understand United Natural's technical and predictive indicators

Using predictive indicators to make investment decisions involves analyzing United Natural's various financial and market-based factors to help forecast future trends and identify investment opportunities. Select the indicators that are most relevant to your investment strategy. Each indicator has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's essential to combine multiple indicators to get a more comprehensive view of the market and reduce the risk of making poor decisions based on limited data.

Consider United Natural's intraday indicators

United Natural intraday indicators are useful technical analysis tools used by many experienced traders. Just like the conventional technical analysis, daily indicators help intraday investors to analyze the price movement with the timing of United Natural stock daily movement. By combining multiple daily indicators into a single trading strategy, you can limit your risk while still earning strong returns on your managed positions.

United Natural Corporate Filings

F3
13th of January 2025
The report used by insiders such as officers, directors, and major shareholders (beneficial owners holding more than 10% of any class of the company's equity securities) to declare their ownership of a company's stock
ViewVerify
F4
23rd of December 2024
The report filed by a party regarding the acquisition or disposition of a company's common stock, as well as derivative securities such as options, warrants, and convertible securities
ViewVerify
19th of December 2024
Other Reports
ViewVerify
8K
18th of December 2024
Report filed with the SEC to announce major events that shareholders should know about
ViewVerify
United Natural time-series forecasting models is one of many United Natural's stock analysis techniques aimed to predict future share value based on previously observed values. Time-series forecasting models ae widely used for non-stationary data. Non-stationary data are called the data whose statistical properties e.g. the mean and standard deviation are not constant over time but instead, these metrics vary over time. These non-stationary United Natural's historical data is usually called time-series. Some empirical experimentation suggests that the statistical forecasting models outperform the models based exclusively on fundamental analysis to predict the direction of the market movement and maximize returns from investment trading.

United Stock media impact

Far too much social signal, news, headlines, and media speculation about United Natural that are available to investors today. That information is available publicly through United media outlets and privately through word of mouth or via United internal channels. However, regardless of the origin, that massive amount of United data is challenging to quantify into actionable patterns, especially for investors that are not very sophisticated with ever-evolving tools and techniques used in the investment management field.
A primary focus of United Natural news analysis is to determine if its current price reflects all relevant headlines and social signals impacting the current market conditions. A news analyst typically looks at the history of United Natural relative headlines and hype rather than examining external drivers such as technical or fundamental data. It is believed that price action tends to repeat itself due to investors' collective, patterned thinking related to United Natural's headlines and news coverage data. This data is often completely overlooked or insufficiently analyzed for actionable insights to drive United Natural alpha.

United Natural Sentiment by Major News Outlets

Investor sentiment, mood or attitude towards United Natural can have a significant impact on its stock price or the market as a whole. This sentiment can be positive or negative, and various factors, such as economic indicators, news events, or market trends, can influence it. When investor sentiment is positive, investors are more likely to buy stocks, increasing demand and increasing the stock price. Positive investor sentiment can be driven by good news about the company or the broader market, such as solid earnings reports or positive economic data.
Note that negative investor sentiment can cause investors to sell stocks, leading to a decrease in demand and a drop in the stock price. Negative sentiment can be driven by factors such as poor earnings reports, negative news about the company or industry, or broader economic concerns. It's important to note that investor sentiment is just one of many factors that can affect stock prices. Other factors, such as company performance, industry trends, and global economic conditions, can also play a significant role in determining the value of a stock.

United Natural Maximum Pain Price Across February 21st 2025 Option Contracts

United Natural's options can also be used to analyze investors' bias and current market sentiment in the context of behavioral finance. For example, Max pain usually refers to a trading concept that asserts that market manipulation can cause the market price of United Natural close to the expiration of its current option contract to expire worthlessly. According to most research, about 35% of options are not executed, with roughly 50% traded out before expiration. So, Max pain occurs when market makers reach a net favorable position across all options at a strike price where option holders stand to lose the most money. By contrast, option sellers may reap the most after selling more options than buying, causing them to expire worthlessly. Please continue to view the detailed analysis of United Natural's options.

United Natural Corporate Directors

Eric ArtzIndependent DirectorProfile
James MuehlbauerIndependent DirectorProfile
Daphne DufresneIndependent DirectorProfile
James HeffernanIndependent DirectorProfile
When determining whether United Natural Foods offers a strong return on investment in its stock, a comprehensive analysis is essential. The process typically begins with a thorough review of United Natural's financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to assess its financial health. Key financial ratios are used to gauge profitability, efficiency, and growth potential of United Natural Foods Stock. Outlined below are crucial reports that will aid in making a well-informed decision on United Natural Foods Stock:
Check out World Market Map to better understand how to build diversified portfolios, which includes a position in United Natural Foods. Also, note that the market value of any company could be closely tied with the direction of predictive economic indicators such as signals in census.
You can also try the FinTech Suite module to use AI to screen and filter profitable investment opportunities.
Is Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of United Natural. If investors know United will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about United Natural listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.89)
Earnings Share
(1.57)
Revenue Per Share
522.428
Quarterly Revenue Growth
0.099
Return On Assets
0.0123
The market value of United Natural Foods is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of United that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of United Natural's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is United Natural's true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because United Natural's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect United Natural's underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
In summary, please note that there is a difference between United Natural's value and its price, as these two are different measures arrived at by various means. Investors typically determine if United Natural is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, United Natural's price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.