Aristeia Capital L.L.C. Makes New Investment in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Key Points

• Aristeia Capital L.L.C. has made a new investment in United Natural Foods, acquiring 16,928 shares valued at approximately $464,000.
• Institutional investors currently own 87.63% of United Natural Foods' stock, while several hedge funds have recently increased their stakes in the company.
• United Natural Foods reported a 7.5% revenue increase year-over-year, reaching $8.06 billion for the quarter, and beat earnings expectations with an EPS of $0.44.

Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 16,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $464,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 188,642 shares of the company's stock worth $5,152,000 after acquiring an additional 29,357 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $656,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 2,671.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 56,177 shares of the company's stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 54,150 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,253,000. Finally, Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,570,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

UNFI traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $28.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 829,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 749,551. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.84 and a 52 week high of $34.76. The company's 50-day moving average is $26.69 and its 200-day moving average is $26.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of -24.75 and a beta of 0.90.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.22. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The business had revenue of $8.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.10 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on United Natural Foods from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price objective on United Natural Foods and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.13.

United Natural Foods Company 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.