BNP Paribas Financial Markets Reduces Stock Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 259,788 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,559 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $8,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNFI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 4,266.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 84.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNFI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Natural Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United Natural Foods from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $56.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.63.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

UNFI opened at $51.64 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.14 and a 200 day moving average of $41.05. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.78 and a 52-week high of $57.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.73 and a beta of 0.81.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $7.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.11 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.25% and a positive return on equity of 6.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 4,807 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total value of $249,964.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 98,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,120,440. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Natural Foods Profile

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.