United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI Stock Holdings Trimmed by Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 157,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,500 shares during the period. United Natural Foods comprises about 1.3% of Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $5,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNFI. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 88.3% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $66,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in United Natural Foods by 56.5% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 1,382 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNFI. Zacks Research raised United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $27.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $29.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.78.

Insider Activity at United Natural Foods

In other news, Director James C. Pappas purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.30 per share, for a total transaction of $66,600.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 194,178 shares in the company, valued at $6,466,127.40. This trade represents a 1.04% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 7.8%

UNFI opened at $39.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.53 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $34.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.11. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.78 and a twelve month high of $43.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

About United Natural Foods

United Natural Foods, Inc (NYSE: UNFI) is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI’s core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.