Boston Partners Has $1.08 Billion Stock Holdings in US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD)

Key Points

• Boston Partners increased its stake in US Foods Holding Corp. by 29.1%, owning over 16 million shares valued at approximately $1.08 billion, making it the firm’s 7th largest position.
• US Foods reported earnings of $1.19 per share, beating estimates by $0.05, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 3.8% despite coming in slightly below analyst expectations.
• Analysts are optimistic about US Foods, with multiple firms raising their price targets, including UBS Group, which raised its target from $84 to $96, and Citigroup, which set a target of $95.

Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD - Free Report) by 29.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,457,351 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,713,345 shares during the period. US Foods makes up about 1.3% of Boston Partners' holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Boston Partners owned approximately 7.14% of US Foods worth $1,076,225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC grew its holdings in US Foods by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 12,555 shares of the company's stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in US Foods by 94.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 389 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in US Foods by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of US Foods by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,898 shares of the company's stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of US Foods by 16.8% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,724 shares of the company's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at US Foods

In other news, EVP Dirk J. Locascio sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $600,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 115,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,206,160. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

USFD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on US Foods from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on US Foods from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on US Foods from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Guggenheim set a $88.00 price objective on US Foods and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $87.00 price objective (up previously from $80.00) on shares of US Foods in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.55.

US Foods Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of USFD traded down $1.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $77.08. 2,317,789 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,582,437. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $79.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.56. The company has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.44. US Foods Holding Corp. has a 1-year low of $56.42 and a 1-year high of $85.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. US Foods had a return on equity of 16.86% and a net margin of 1.43%. The company had revenue of $10.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that US Foods Holding Corp. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

US Foods Company Profile

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.