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Fly News Breaks for June 29, 2017
WFM, UNFI
Jun 29, 2017 | 07:18 EDT
After spending time with management, Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh says he continues to see limited near-term risks related to United Natural Foods' contract with Whole Foods (WFM). The company has change of control language in place to protect its interests and the contract goes through 2025, Parikh tells investors in a research note. He adds that United Natural could benefit if Whole Foods succeeds in driving more volume to stores post the Amazon (AMZN) takeover. The analyst cautions, however, that post-2025 concerns represent an overhang for now and that it is unclear whether Amazon would build its own logistics network to service Whole Foods stores. Parikh keeps a Perform rating on United Natural. He says he left the meetings with management confident in management's ability to outperform peers through stronger execution and opportunistic acquisitions.