Intech Investment Management LLC Acquires 10,199 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 47.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 31,591 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,199 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. CWM LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 661.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,879 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $94,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $24.83 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -13.14 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $20.82 and a 200 day moving average of $16.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.44. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $8.58 and a one year high of $25.23.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. 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 research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.40.

Insider Activity

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 15,152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.78, for a total transaction of $299,706.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,986,366.94. This trade represents a 13.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.