Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires New Holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 21,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position 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 period. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 17,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 37,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 94,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total value of $200,005.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 88,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $24.65 on Thursday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $25.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.04 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.16 and its 200-day moving average is $16.35.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.25) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNFI. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upped their price target 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, Northcoast Research raised United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.40.

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.