Marshall Wace LLP Acquires 915,177 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 207.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,357,212 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 915,177 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned 2.27% of United Natural Foods worth $37,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Natural Foods by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 31,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $873,000 after acquiring an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $24.63 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -15.69 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.48. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.58 and a 52 week high of $34.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $27.73 and its 200-day moving average is $25.92.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.30% and a positive return on equity of 1.27%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNFI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. CL King raised United Natural Foods from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.50.

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.