United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Sold by Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC trimmed its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 79.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,117 shares of the company's stock after selling 196,586 shares during the quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned 0.09% of United Natural Foods worth $1,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $242,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 706,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,294,000 after purchasing an additional 134,841 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in United Natural Foods by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 145,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,000 after purchasing an additional 35,971 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $347,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in United Natural Foods by 241.1% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 369,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,079,000 after purchasing an additional 260,862 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. CL King raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised 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 assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE UNFI traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $31.12. 1,091,135 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 704,325. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.53. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.91 and a twelve month high of $34.76. The company has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of -19.82 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $26.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.84.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for 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%. The firm's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.07 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS 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.