Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases 31,426 Shares of US Foods Holding Corp. $USFD

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in US Foods Holding Corp. by 4.4% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 31,426 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 752,023 shares worth $49.2 million.
• US Foods reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings with an EPS of $1.19, surpassing analysts' estimates of $1.14, although revenue slightly missed expectations at $10.08 billion.
• Several hedge funds have significantly increased their positions in US Foods, with Allianz Asset Management raising its stake by an impressive 152.6%, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.

Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD - Free Report) by 4.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 752,023 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 31,426 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.33% of US Foods worth $49,227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of USFD. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in US Foods by 9.2% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 260,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,047,000 after acquiring an additional 21,894 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in US Foods by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 51,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,370,000 after purchasing an additional 7,293 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of US Foods by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,373 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of US Foods by 29.1% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 16,457,351 shares of the company's stock worth $1,076,225,000 after purchasing an additional 3,713,345 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of US Foods in the first quarter worth $31,000. 98.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at US Foods

In related news, EVP Dirk J. Locascio sold 7,500 shares of US Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $600,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 115,077 shares in the company, valued at $9,206,160. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on US Foods from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on US Foods from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $89.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of US Foods in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of US Foods from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $87.00 price target (up previously from $80.00) on shares of US Foods in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $80.55.

US Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE USFD traded up $0.6520 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $78.0320. 1,511,310 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,500,415. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $79.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.83. The company has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.44. US Foods Holding Corp. has a 52-week low of $56.47 and a 52-week high of $85.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $10.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.17 billion. US Foods had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 1.43%.US Foods's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. US Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.764-3.874 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that US Foods Holding Corp. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

About US Foods

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company's customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations.