nVerses Capital LLC Boosts Stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 85.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the quarter. nVerses Capital LLC’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $66,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNFI. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 86.6% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 264,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,461,000 after buying an additional 122,626 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 4.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,587,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,175,000 after purchasing an additional 321,020 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the first quarter worth about $2,317,000. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $661,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,655,000. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 88,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

NYSE:UNFI opened at $20.44 on Tuesday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.58 and a 12 month high of $23.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of -10.81 and a beta of 0.63. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $16.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.60.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.25) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.