United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Purchased by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 352.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 108,181 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,257 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 49.5% in the 2nd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,773,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,235,000 after purchasing an additional 587,163 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 23.1% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,267,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,601,000 after acquiring an additional 237,496 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 86.6% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 264,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,461,000 after acquiring an additional 122,626 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $917,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in United Natural Foods by 393.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 86,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 69,111 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. The trade was a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

NYSE UNFI opened at $24.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.74 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.59. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $25.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

United Natural Foods Company 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.