Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Invests $382,000 in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd has acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI), purchasing 13,949 shares valued at approximately $382,000 in the first quarter.
• Institutional investors collectively own 87.63% of United Natural Foods, with several funds increasing or establishing new positions in the company during the fourth quarter.
• Analysts have mixed views on the company's stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price averaging $28.13, while recent earnings results surpassed expectations with EPS of $0.44.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 13,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $382,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 500.0% in the 1st quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 126,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,451,000 after purchasing an additional 105,000 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 493.1% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 64,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 53,528 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,571,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,229 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 18,749 shares of the company's stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 3,220 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

UNFI stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $27.19. 337,833 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 883,929. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.00 and a 52 week high of $34.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $25.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of -23.63 and a beta of 0.82.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $8.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.78 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.21% and a positive return on equity of 3.13%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Natural Foods from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price objective on United Natural Foods and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.13.

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.