Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Grows Stock Holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 32.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 145,971 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,971 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP owned 0.24% of United Natural Foods worth $3,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position 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. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $424,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 46.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,066 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the period. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 31,951 shares of the company's stock valued at $873,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNFI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. CL King raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $27.65. 426,583 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 700,085. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.61 and a beta of 1.08. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $10.00 and a one year high of $34.76. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $26.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.58.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.96 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.07 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Natural Foods

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.