Russell Investments Group Ltd. Lowers Stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 58.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,727 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,645 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 50.4% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 48,374 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 16,206 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in United Natural Foods by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 22,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $611,000 after buying an additional 3,620 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 48,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,338,000 after buying an additional 2,182 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in United Natural Foods in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 379.5% in the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 201,622 shares of the company's stock worth $5,506,000 after acquiring an additional 159,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $26.75. 490,381 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 700,931. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $26.60 and a 200 day moving average of $26.25. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $8.90 and a 1 year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.04 and a beta of 1.08.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $7.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. United Natural Foods's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, CL King raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.50.

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.