Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. Makes New $27,000 Investment in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNFI. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 379.5% in the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 201,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,506,000 after buying an additional 159,572 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 162.7% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 587,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,050,000 after acquiring an additional 363,962 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $225,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $1,079,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 146.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 439,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,992,000 after purchasing an additional 261,172 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

United Natural Foods stock opened at $27.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of -17.44 and a beta of 0.56. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.58 and a 52 week high of $34.76. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.07 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNFI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. CL King upgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.50.

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.