Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires Shares of 21,144 United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 21,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 661.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,314 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 2,879 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.2% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 716 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of United Natural Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Natural Foods news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 9,050 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.10, for a total transaction of $200,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 88,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,949,617.80. The trade was a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

United Natural Foods stock traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $24.28. 435,840 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 680,230. The stock's fifty day moving average is $21.32 and its 200-day moving average is $16.41. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.58 and a 12 month high of $25.48. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.04 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 0.54% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.25) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.64 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNFI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $14.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group upped their price target on United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.40.

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.