Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Has $1.09 Million Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 28.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 64,917 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,791 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of United Natural Foods worth $1,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UNFI. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth about $28,000. CWM LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 661.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,879 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the first quarter worth about $38,000. EMC Capital Management raised its position in United Natural Foods by 39.6% in the first quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 6,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNFI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total value of $200,005.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

UNFI opened at $24.72 on Thursday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $8.58 and a one year high of $25.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.08 and a beta of 0.62.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 0.54%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.25) earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Natural Foods

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.