Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Purchases 159,572 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 379.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201,622 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 159,572 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.34% of United Natural Foods worth $5,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 28.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,018,248 shares of the company's stock worth $55,118,000 after acquiring an additional 442,574 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 162.7% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 587,697 shares of the company's stock worth $16,050,000 after purchasing an additional 363,962 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 146.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 439,109 shares of the company's stock worth $11,992,000 after purchasing an additional 261,172 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter valued at $3,637,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $2,867,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

United Natural Foods Stock Performance

Shares of UNFI stock traded down $1.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $24.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 828,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 704,657. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -15.66 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $29.13 and a 200-day moving average of $25.50. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.58 and a 52 week high of $34.76.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.96 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UNFI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, CL King raised United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.50.

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.