Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 10,215 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 290,485 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,215 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.48% of United Natural Foods worth $7,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in United Natural Foods by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 46.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in United Natural Foods by 200.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 2,128 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $157,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at $182,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI stock opened at $31.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -20.18 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $29.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.28. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $8.58 and a one year high of $34.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The firm had revenue of $7.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNFI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on 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 issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Natural Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $26.40.

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.