Federated Hermes Inc. Increases Holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 2,136.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 657,320 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 627,930 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $10,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EMC Capital Management increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 4,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $118,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $175,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $186,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNFI. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $8.90 on Wednesday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.81 and a 52 week high of $28.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.53.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.20% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The business had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.