Towle & Co. Sells 154,164 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Towle & Co. reduced its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 19.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 622,302 shares of the company's stock after selling 154,164 shares during the quarter. United Natural Foods makes up approximately 2.9% of Towle & Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Towle & Co. owned about 1.04% of United Natural Foods worth $16,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 796.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 186.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,557 shares during the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of UNFI stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $29.32. 394,757 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 698,569. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.46 and a 12-month high of $34.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.67 and a beta of 1.08. The business's 50 day moving average price is $26.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.17.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on UNFI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. CL King upgraded United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.50.

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.