Jana Partners sells Whole Foods stock for big profits

Last April, Jana Partners revealed it had acquired an 8.3% ownership stake in Whole Foods, and publicly stated that its goal was to gain board representation in order to lobby for a number of changes at the company, including a potential sale or merger.

In a series of transactions on the open market between February and May, Jana paid between $29 and $32 per share. Last month, Amazon agreed to buy Whole Foods for $42 per share.

And last week, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jana stated that it began selling Whole Foods shares shortly after the Amazon deal was announced, and ultimately sold more than 23 million shares for a profit of approximately $300 million.

Reports say Albertsons looking to acquire Whole Foods

It has been widely reported in the last couple weeks that Albertsons has been exploring a takeover of Whole Foods, which is reportedly exploring the possibility of a sale.

The speculation comes just a couple weeks after Whole Foods investor Jana Partners raised concerns about Whole Foods' management.

Earlier this year there were reports that Albertsons was exploring a takeover of Sprouts Farmers Market. Some analysts have suggested that acquiring a public company might help Albertsons have a successful public offering of its own, which is something the company has attempted to do before.