Free Trial

US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

US Foods logo with Consumer Staples background

Key Points

  • US Foods Holding Corp. experienced a significant increase in short interest, with 7,450,000 shares shorted as of August 31st, marking a 20.7% growth from mid-August.
  • The company's recent earnings report revealed earnings per share of $1.19 for the quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.05, along with a revenue of $10.08 billion.
  • Several brokerages have raised their target price for US Foods, with Guggenheim and Wells Fargo recently increasing their price targets to $88.00 and $87.00 respectively, reflecting positive analyst sentiment towards the stock.
  • MarketBeat previews top five stocks to own in October.

US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,450,000 shares, a growth of 20.7% from the August 15th total of 6,170,000 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 3.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

US Foods Trading Down 0.5%

US Foods stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $78.39. 1,642,680 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,626,506. US Foods has a 52 week low of $57.36 and a 52 week high of $85.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.65 billion, a PE ratio of 33.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.77.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. US Foods had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 16.86%. The company had revenue of $10.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. US Foods has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.764-3.874 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that US Foods will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on USFD. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of US Foods from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $87.00 price objective (up previously from $80.00) on shares of US Foods in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on US Foods from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on US Foods from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on US Foods from $77.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $81.27.

Get Our Latest Research Report on US Foods

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dirk J. Locascio sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $600,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 115,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,206,160. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of USFD. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of US Foods by 29.1% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 16,457,351 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,076,225,000 after purchasing an additional 3,713,345 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in US Foods by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,836,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $774,806,000 after acquiring an additional 426,288 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in US Foods by 21.8% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,546,048 shares of the company's stock worth $493,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350,034 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of US Foods by 2.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,134,905 shares of the company's stock worth $472,449,000 after acquiring an additional 161,749 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of US Foods by 1.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,986,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $307,044,000 after purchasing an additional 52,361 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.76% of the company's stock.

US Foods Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company's customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations.

Further Reading

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Should You Invest $1,000 in US Foods Right Now?

Before you consider US Foods, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and US Foods wasn't on the list.

While US Foods currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here

Metaverse Stocks And Why You Can't Ignore Them Cover

Thinking about investing in Meta, Roblox, or Unity? Enter your email to learn what streetwise investors need to know about the metaverse and public markets before making an investment.

Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.