United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 44.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 281,713 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,941 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.47% of United Natural Foods worth $7,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter valued at about $548,000. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 7.6% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 953 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 85.7% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 18.6% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 46.3% during the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 15,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE UNFI opened at $30.30 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -19.30 and a beta of 0.62. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $32.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.52.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.04) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on UNFI. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.20.

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.