US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• US Foods Holding Corp. experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 495.3% to 5,790,000 shares as of July 15th, with a days-to-cover ratio of 2.7 days based on an average trading volume of 2,120,000 shares.
• Executive vice president Dirk J. Locascio sold 7,500 shares for $600,000, representing a 6.12% decrease in his ownership, while institutional investors own 98.76% of the company’s stock.
• Wall Street analysts remain optimistic with multiple firms setting target prices above current levels, including Barclays raising their price target from $85.00 to $95.00 and UBS Group increasing theirs from $84.00 to $96.00.

US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 5,790,000 shares, agrowthof495.3% from the June 30th total of 972,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at US Foods

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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 115,077 shares in the company, valued at $9,206,160. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in USFD. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in shares of US Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of US Foods by 94.5% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 389 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in US Foods during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in US Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in US Foods by 153.6% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 492 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.76% of the company's stock.

US Foods Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:USFD opened at $83.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.20, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.17. US Foods has a 1 year low of $50.49 and a 1 year high of $85.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $79.11 and a 200-day moving average of $71.85.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.01). US Foods had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 15.58%. The company had revenue of $9.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that US Foods will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

USFD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $89.00 target price (up from $84.00) on shares of US Foods in a report on Monday, July 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of US Foods in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on US Foods from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Citigroup began coverage on US Foods in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on US Foods from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $78.42.

About US Foods

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.

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