US Foods (NYSE:USFD) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Insider Buying Activity

US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following insider buying activity. The company traded as high as $73.19 and last traded at $72.12, with a volume of 52341 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.62.

Specifically, Director David W. Bullock bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $71.06 per share, with a total value of $284,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 4,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $319,770. The trade was a 800.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of US Foods from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Melius Research raised shares of US Foods to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of US Foods from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of US Foods from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of US Foods from $79.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.33.

US Foods Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $16.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.67.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.01). US Foods had a return on equity of 15.03% and a net margin of 1.30%. The business had revenue of $9.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.47 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that US Foods Holding Corp. will post 3.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in USFD. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in US Foods during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in US Foods by 94.5% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in US Foods in the third quarter valued at $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in US Foods by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in US Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.76% of the company’s stock.

About US Foods

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company's customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations.