Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 277,636 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,434,767 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 277,636 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 12.51% of United Natural Foods worth $105,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,040,105 shares of the company's stock worth $28,847,000 after purchasing an additional 199,757 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter worth $538,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 176.5% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 172,033 shares of the company's stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 109,812 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter valued at $575,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its position in United Natural Foods by 439.4% during the third quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 71,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 58,322 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNFI traded down $0.06 on Friday, reaching $10.43. 908,930 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 681,238. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.27 and a 1-year high of $28.37. The firm has a market cap of $619.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.35 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.00 and a 200-day moving average of $14.92.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.87 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 1.20%. The firm's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.