Verition Fund Management LLC Has $626,000 Holdings in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)

Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI - Free Report) by 92.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,209 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,914 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC owned about 0.06% of United Natural Foods worth $626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods in the third quarter valued at about $595,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 86.6% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 264,176 shares of the company's stock worth $3,461,000 after acquiring an additional 122,626 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 352.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 108,181 shares of the company's stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 84,257 shares in the last quarter. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the second quarter worth $661,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth $548,000. 87.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNFI shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of United Natural Foods from $16.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on United Natural Foods from $23.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded United Natural Foods from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.20.

United Natural Foods Price Performance

NYSE UNFI traded down $1.53 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $28.09. 1,605,086 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 694,029. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.07 and a 200-day moving average of $16.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $8.58 and a one year high of $32.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of -14.86 and a beta of 0.64.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.18. The company 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 0.54% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.04) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.