Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Cuts Stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 29.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,486 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,088 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned 0.05% of United Natural Foods worth $1,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 7.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,603,588 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,690,000 after buying an additional 169,640 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in United Natural Foods by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,544,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,308,000 after acquiring an additional 436,680 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in United Natural Foods by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,424,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,203,000 after purchasing an additional 27,943 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in United Natural Foods by 196.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 925,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,583,000 after purchasing an additional 613,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 4.5% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 902,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,035,000 after purchasing an additional 39,142 shares during the period. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total value of $327,250.13. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,816,382.78. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,261 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.08, for a total transaction of $140,953.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 37,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,236,166.52. This represents a 10.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut United Natural Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.78.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 0.3%

UNFI opened at $39.20 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.78 and a 52 week high of $43.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of -23.62 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $35.62 and a 200-day moving average of $34.44.

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

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.