Senvest Management LLC Takes $18.16 Million Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Senvest Management LLC acquired a new position in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 664,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,161,000. Senvest Management LLC owned approximately 1.11% of United Natural Foods at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNFI. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake 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 buying 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% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 587,697 shares of the company's stock worth $16,050,000 after acquiring an additional 363,962 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 261,172 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 379.5% in the 4th quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 201,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,506,000 after purchasing an additional 159,572 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,637,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Stock Up 1.6 %

UNFI stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $24.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 698,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 706,300. The firm's 50-day moving average is $27.73 and its 200-day moving average is $25.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.58 and a 12 month high of $34.76. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -15.69 and a beta of 1.08.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.96 billion. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.27% and a negative net margin of 0.30%. United Natural Foods's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UNFI. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. CL King raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of United Natural Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Natural Foods currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.50.

United Natural Foods 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.