Barclays PLC Acquires 84,572 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Barclays PLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 68.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 208,529 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 84,572 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.35% of United Natural Foods worth $5,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 796.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNFI shares. StockNews.com upgraded United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. CL King upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

United Natural Foods stock traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $27.16. 103,153 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 698,591. The business's 50-day moving average is $26.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.25. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.90 and a 12 month high of $34.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.32 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.48.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Natural Foods Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers grocery and general merchandise, produce, perishables and frozen foods, wellness and personal care items, and bulk and foodservice products.