Northern Trust Corp Boosts Holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Northern Trust Corp grew its position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 18.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 756,585 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 118,817 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.26% of United Natural Foods worth $20,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 796.2% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,882 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,672 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in United Natural Foods by 186.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,391 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,557 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. CL King upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.50.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of UNFI stock traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $31.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,091,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 704,325. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $26.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.91 and a 12 month high of $34.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of -19.82 and a beta of 1.08.

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

United Natural Foods 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.