United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its stake in United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,749 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,839 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.14% of United Natural Foods worth $1,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNFI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 40.9% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 357,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,776,000 after buying an additional 103,800 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in United Natural Foods by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 19,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after acquiring an additional 2,239 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 58.2% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 11,130 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 157,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,492,000 after purchasing an additional 4,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods by 17.6% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 50,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,071,000 after purchasing an additional 7,486 shares in the last quarter. 87.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Natural Foods news, CAO Richard Eric Esper sold 4,375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.35, for a total value of $49,656.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $373,017.75. The transaction 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 corporate insiders.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE UNFI opened at $9.27 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $12.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.53. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $9.18 and a twelve month high of $28.37. The stock has a market cap of $551.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 0.55.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.09. United Natural Foods had a positive return on equity of 1.20% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The firm had revenue of $7.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. United Natural Foods’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.01 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on UNFI shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on United Natural Foods from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.40.

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.