United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,774 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNFI. EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 17.7% in 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 purchased a new stake in United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $118,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth approximately $175,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth approximately $186,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $235,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UNFI opened at $9.26 on Tuesday. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.58 and a fifty-two week high of $28.37. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.19. The company has a market cap of $550.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 0.56.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.87 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.20% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.40.

About United Natural Foods

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.