Private Management Group Inc. Purchases 1,469 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Private Management Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 805,111 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,469 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $13,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. EMC Capital Management raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 17.7% during the third quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 4,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $118,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $175,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in United Natural Foods by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 12,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB bought a new position in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $186,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In other news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total transaction of $49,656.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNFI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 target price (down previously from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.40.

United Natural Foods Stock Down 2.2 %

UNFI traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $8.90. The company had a trading volume of 793,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 690,960. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $12.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.35. The company has a market capitalization of $529.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.56 and a beta of 0.56. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.81 and a 52 week high of $28.37.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.87 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 1.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.