Nuveen Asset Management LLC Acquires 242,293 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 881,982 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 242,293 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 1.47% of United Natural Foods worth $24,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Numerai GP LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $1,067,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $352,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in United Natural Foods by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 33,414 shares of the company's stock worth $913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,245 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at about $112,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $1,251,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.5%

United Natural Foods stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $30.31. 57,354 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 675,378. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $26.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.30 and a beta of 1.08. 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 52-week low of $11.46 and a 52-week high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.07 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on UNFI. Wall Street Zen raised United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, CL King upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.50.

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.