The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Trims Stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,878 shares of the company’s stock after selling 504 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 661.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 2,879 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $94,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $97,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $28.49 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.58 and a twelve month high of $32.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.15 and a beta of 0.64.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. The company had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.61 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.04) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNFI. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total value of $200,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,949,617.80. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.