Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 44,044 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management cut its stake in United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) by 53.3%, selling 44,044 shares in the quarter and now holds 38,598 shares valued at about $1.45 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director James C. Pappas bought 15,000 shares at $33.76 (raising his holdings to 192,178 shares), while insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares.
• Analysts have a consensus "Hold" rating with a $38.78 target (3 Buy, 7 Hold, 1 Sell); the company recently beat EPS estimates ($0.56 vs. $0.39) even as revenue dipped slightly and net margin remained negative.

Intech Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 53.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,598 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,044 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of United Natural Foods worth $1,452,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 1.1% in the third quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 28,948 shares of the company's stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Towle & Co. bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at about $13,724,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 236,265 shares of the company's stock worth $8,888,000 after buying an additional 29,952 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth about $296,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of United Natural Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Friday, January 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James C. Pappas acquired 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $506,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 192,178 shares in the company, valued at $6,487,929.28. This trade represents a 8.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,816,382.78. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $36.49 on Friday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.78 and a fifty-two week high of $43.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.98 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $36.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.37.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.17. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The company had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

United Natural Foods Company Profile

United Natural Foods, Inc NYSE: UNFI is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI's core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.

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