Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $13.49 Million Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 19.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 358,668 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 58,608 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.59% of United Natural Foods worth $13,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNFI. Mutual Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Natural Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,387,000. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new stake in shares of United Natural Foods during the third quarter worth approximately $408,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.6% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 22,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $855,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539 shares during the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 34.7% during the third quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 90,719 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,413,000 after purchasing an additional 23,391 shares during the period. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in United Natural Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $233,000. Institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNFI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $40.00 target price on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of United Natural Foods from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.78.

Insider Transactions at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Louis Anthony Martin sold 9,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.67, for a total transaction of $327,250.13. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 81,234 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,382.78. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director James C. Pappas bought 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $506,400.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 192,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,487,929.28. This represents a 8.47% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of United Natural Foods stock opened at $38.82 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.78 and a 12-month high of $43.29. The company has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.39 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $34.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.97.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $7.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.91 billion. United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 4.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.500-2.300 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 0.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About United Natural Foods

United Natural Foods, Inc (NYSE: UNFI) is a leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, the company has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest food distributors serving retail, foodservice and e-commerce customers.

UNFI’s core business centers on the procurement, warehousing and distribution of a broad portfolio of products, including fresh produce, groceries, frozen foods, dairy, bakery items, beverages, supplements and household essentials.