Empowered Funds LLC Buys 86,941 Shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 44.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 281,713 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 86,941 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.47% of United Natural Foods worth $7,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNFI. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in United Natural Foods by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 931 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,027 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 200.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,191 shares of the company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its stake in United Natural Foods by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,900 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Finally, Adero Partners LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $243,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNFI traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $33.98. 536,431 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 562,941. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.58 and a 12-month high of $34.76. 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 $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.64 and a beta of 0.62. The business's fifty day moving average price is $28.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.92.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.18. The business had revenue of $7.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.61 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 for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.04) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on UNFI shares. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on United Natural Foods from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.40.

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.