United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI) Reaches New 52-Week Low at $10.02

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE:UNFI)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $10.02 and last traded at $10.09, with a volume of 71277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.53.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

United Natural Foods Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.62. The company has a market capitalization of $606.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.24 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Insider Activity

In other 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,865 shares in the company, valued at $373,017.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Natural Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UNFI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 40.9% during 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 stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 12.8% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 19,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 2,239 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 58.2% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 11,130 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 2.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 157,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,492,000 after buying an additional 4,192 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in shares of United Natural Foods by 17.6% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 50,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after buying an additional 7,486 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.63% of the company’s stock.

About United Natural Foods

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.