Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Position in United Natural Foods, Inc. $UNFI

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 352,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,747 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in United Natural Foods were worth $15,903,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Revisor Wealth Management LLC increased its position in United Natural Foods by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 13,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc boosted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 20,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners increased its position in shares of United Natural Foods by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 1,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

United Natural Foods Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE UNFI opened at $48.70 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $49.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.45. United Natural Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.88 and a 52-week high of $57.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.33. The company has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of -73.78 and a beta of 0.83.

United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.04). United Natural Foods had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.42%. The firm had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. United Natural Foods’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. United Natural Foods has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Natural Foods, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on UNFI shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on United Natural Foods from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of United Natural Foods in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United Natural Foods from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research raised United Natural Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $47.00 price objective on shares of United Natural Foods in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Natural Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Natural Foods

In related news, insider Danielle Benedict sold 4,807 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $249,964.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 98,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,120,440. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Mark Bushway sold 10,000 shares of United Natural Foods stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.56, for a total value of $515,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 51,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,635,695.64. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Natural Foods Profile

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.