Caxton Associates LLP Buys New Shares in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods, purchasing 107,069 shares valued at approximately $2.93 million, now holding about 0.18% of the company.
• United Natural Foods reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.44, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.22, with revenue reaching $8.06 billion, up 7.5% year-over-year.
• After recent adjustments, United Natural Foods has a consensus rating of "Hold", with price targets set between $24.00 and $36.00 by various analysts.

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 107,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,933,000. Caxton Associates LLP owned about 0.18% of United Natural Foods as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1,672.7% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 975 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $69,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $73,000. KBC Group NV purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 19.5% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,229 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNFI. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on United Natural Foods from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price target on United Natural Foods and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.13.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of UNFI traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.47. 829,487 shares of the stock were exchanged, 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.53. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.75 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.41.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $8.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.78 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 3.13% and a negative net margin of 0.21%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate 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.