United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Insider Sells $411,538.05 in Stock

Key Points

• Danielle Benedict, an insider at United Natural Foods, sold 11,655 shares for a total of $411,538.05, reducing her ownership by 11.52%.
• The company's quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of ($0.11), which was better than the consensus estimate of ($0.18), despite a 5.6% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• Several institutional investors have recently increased their stakes in United Natural Foods, which currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $32.25.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) insider Danielle Benedict sold 11,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total value of $411,538.05. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 89,544 shares in the company, valued at $3,161,798.64. This trade represents a 11.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

UNFI stock opened at $37.59 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.68. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.81 and a 52 week high of $38.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.69 and a beta of 0.90.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.21% and a positive return on equity of 3.13%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.01 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $656,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in United Natural Foods by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 188,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,152,000 after buying an additional 29,357 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 2,671.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 56,177 shares of the company's stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 54,150 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 114,631.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 33,272 shares of the company's stock worth $911,000 after acquiring an additional 33,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,253,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on UNFI shares. Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on United Natural Foods from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $24.00 price target on United Natural Foods and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.25.

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.

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