Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,500 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in US Foods were worth $622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new stake in US Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its position in US Foods by 94.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in US Foods by 59.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in US Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in shares of US Foods by 153.6% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 492 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at US Foods

In related news, EVP Dirk J. Locascio sold 15,000 shares of US Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $1,125,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 115,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,630,775. The trade was a 11.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on USFD shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of US Foods in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of US Foods in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Barclays upped their target price on US Foods from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on US Foods from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of US Foods from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

US Foods Stock Performance

NYSE:USFD opened at $78.42 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. US Foods Holding Corp. has a twelve month low of $50.05 and a twelve month high of $79.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.97, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.01). US Foods had a return on equity of 15.58% and a net margin of 1.38%. The company had revenue of $9.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that US Foods Holding Corp. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

US Foods Profile

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company's customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations.